National Park Service A Burmese python found in the Everglades.

Florida officials are stepping up efforts to deal with the python population in the Everglades, measures that include a special hunting season that begins on state lands on Monday. But wildlife officials say that the big snakes, which prey on a number of threatened and endangered species from wading birds to wood rats, have reproduced faster than hunters can kill them.

Ken Salazar, the Interior secretary, recently announced efforts to ban the import or interstate transport of nine non-native snakes: four types of pythons, including the Burmese python, as well as boa constrictors and four kinds of anacondas.

What should be done to control the pythons’ spread, both in Everglades National Park and other Florida wild areas? What is the most effective way to kill them?

• Kenneth L. Krysko, biological scientist
• Andrew Wyatt, president, U.S. Association of Reptile Keepers
• Frank J. Mazzotti, associate professor of wildlife ecology

Enforce and Strengthen the Laws

Kenneth L. Krysko is senior biological scientist of the division of herpetology at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Our state’s problem is with all non-native species being allowed to roam wild. Despite the Florida statute that makes it illegal to release any non-native animal in Florida without first having a permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, no person has ever been prosecuted for the establishment of a non-native reptile in Florida.

Because current Florida laws are inadequate and ineffective to curtail the ever-increasing number of illegal introductions in the state, laws need to be modified and made enforceable, and at the very least those responsible for illegal introductions should be held accountable for cleaning up and hopefully extermination of those species they are responsible for.

Furthermore, I support the creation of an early detection and rapid response program to quickly and effectively eradicate newly found introduced species.

Associated Press/Gordon Roda, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The brown tree snake has wreaked havoc on the biodiversity of Guam.

Although many people do not believe that most of these introduced species pose any threats to the environment nor do they understand potential consequences these species might have, the stage is now set for something worse to come. See the brown tree snake as an example.

In regard to Burmese pythons, they too were introduced via the pet trade like most other species here. It is unlikely that they will be exterminated, but we will continue to remove every python we find in hopes to keep numbers down or until other management practices are found to be effective.

The more recently discovered reproducing population of African rock pythons certainly does not help our situation as some of our limited resources are being directed toward this species. Florida now has more non-native amphibian and reptile species than any other place in the entire world. Needless to say, we have a major problem!

Regulation Isn’t the Answer

Andrew Wyatt , a python breeder, is president of the United States Association of Reptile Keepers.

The position of Interior Secretary Salazar on the proposed rule change adding nine constrictors to the injurious wildlife list will have a rough time in the light of real scientific or legal scrutiny.

Michelle Peake/National Park Service

There are so many fairy tales promoted as fact that it is difficult to decide where to start. The most repeated misstatement is that the population of pythons in the Everglades is the result of irresponsible owners releasing their charges once they have grown too large or difficult to be maintained.

That is false. There is no doubt that individuals have released pythons, but evidence suggests that they are not the ones responsible for the feral population in the Everglades.

There was a genetics study done by the National Park service and Florida International University indicating that the pythons in the Everglades are almost genetically identical. This points away from a slow introduction over time of many varied specimens and indicates a more isolated and catastrophic event such as Hurricane Andrew destroying a single breeding facility or importer of all like animals.

According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, as many as half or more of the pythons in the wild died during Florida’s recent cold snap.

Invasive Species: A Larger Problem

Frank J. Mazzotti is an associate professor of wildlife ecology and conservation at the University of Florida.

Eradication of Burmese pythons is no longer an achievable goal. However, the mortality of Burmese pythons observed in south Florida after a record cold spell in early January makes us hopeful that nature combined with science will help us accomplish our objectives of population control and protection of vulnerable resources.

www.sfwmd.gov Fifty-two eggs were inside a 16-foot Burmese python found in Florida.

More important, we hope that we have learned the lesson that preventing establishment of invasive species is more effective than battling the crisis once it occurs.

Burmese pythons have been thrust to the forefront of the fight against invasive species in the United States. The most important lesson to learn from our battle with pythons in paradise is that preventing establishment of invasive species is our best defense.

It is imperative that policy makers take a comprehensive approach to preventing establishment of invasive species that looks beyond snakes (and other reptiles) to consider all species of animals and plants that have the potential to be invasive.

This approach should recognize, first, that most alien species are not invasive but require care and cultivation to survive, whereas those that are invasive — like the Burmese python — are likely to have restricted geographic distributions.

(CC) African rock pythons have been discovered in Florida.

Management will be most effective when it targets specific invasive species in particular locations where they are likely to cause problems.

Some of the attention being lavished on Burmese pythons is likely a result of an archetypal fear that people have of snakes and some of the attention is justified by threats to Everglades ecosystems. In south Florida, Burmese pythons consume primarily birds and mammals including two federally endangered species, the Key Largo wood rat and the wood stork.