Aaand of course it had to be followed by an outcry; from across the country in some cases.
The state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has tried for years to cope with the influx. Among other strategies, it has told homeowners to shoot the iguanas on sight and invited amateur hunters to compete for prizes in a python roundup. Then late last month, commissioners took more extreme action, deciding 7 to 0 to ban possession and breeding of both those reptiles and 14 other nonnative species.
“We have to put our foot down,” said chairman Rodney Barreto, a Miami developer recently criticized for his role in a Palm Beach dredge-and-fill project. “The time has come to take a bold stand against these real threats to our environment.”
The vote came at the conclusion of a four-hour online public hearing. More than 80 people had called in, from as far away as Oregon and Maine, many to object. Reptile breeders and dealers argued that the move would gut their industry, while herpetology hobbyists bemoaned the loss of pets they regard as part of their family.
One caller even cried, explaining that she relies on her pythons and iguanas to help her cope with lonely nights and difficult days.
“If you take them away,” she said, “I would be really messed up.”
As passed, the ban will be phased in over three years to give businesses time to get rid of their breeding stock. It does not require a roundup of pets. Their owners can keep them for as long as the animals live, just not replace them.
“We have to put our foot down,” said chairman Rodney Barreto, a Miami developer recently criticized for his role in a Palm Beach dredge-and-fill project. “The time has come to take a bold stand against these real threats to our environment.”
The vote came at the conclusion of a four-hour online public hearing. More than 80 people had called in, from as far away as Oregon and Maine, many to object. Reptile breeders and dealers argued that the move would gut their industry, while herpetology hobbyists bemoaned the loss of pets they regard as part of their family.
One caller even cried, explaining that she relies on her pythons and iguanas to help her cope with lonely nights and difficult days.
“If you take them away,” she said, “I would be really messed up.”
As passed, the ban will be phased in over three years to give businesses time to get rid of their breeding stock. It does not require a roundup of pets. Their owners can keep them for as long as the animals live, just not replace them.
What’s a Sunshine state to do. It reminds me of the issue a growing number of people seem have with the need to do the “difficult thing”, which in this case happens to be environmental conservation. They fail to understand or even acknowledge the bigger picture, which is many other species being killed off. It’s like emotional maturity stops at a grade school age and they still think all of earth’s creatures can kneel down and sing kumbaya together. Yeah I’d like that too, but nature is the mother of cold-heartedness, and even us homosapiens occasionally need to do our part. Especially when it involves something we probably screwed up in the first place.
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