Pythons Eat Nearly Every Small Mammal in the Everglades
By Steve Casimiro, Adventure Journal on January 31st, 2012
All almost mid-sized mammals are gone from the Everglades. The culprit? Giant Burmese pythons that became popular “pets” among collectors in Florida in the 1990s and, along with other creatures that don’t belong in the Sunshine State, have managed to get loose of their owners. How bad is it? Raccoon populations have fallen 99.3%, possum sightings 98.9 percent. “When we actually did the calculations, we were astonished by the magnitude of the declines,” said one Florida academic. At last, if much too late, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar wants a federal ban on importing non-native reptiles. Breeders — unbelievably — say they don’t pose a threat. Via Miami Herald.
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What we need here is a good old-fashioned bounty hunt! $25 per head out to have that swamp python-free in no time.