Posted by
Dave Kooker on Monday, March 03, 2008 11:09:30 AM
Typically during the weekend morning hours in the spring, summer, and early fall, my seven-year-old son and I spend many hours traversing the Cedar and Ortega River. Since it is not quite warm enough in the mornings, we have been launching our kayak ventures in the early afternoon so that we can observe all the animals sunning themselves on the mud flats and on fallen trees. Our nature journey normally last 2 ½ hours before my son’s attention span wonders into other tangents. I never grow tired of watching my son’s insatiable desire to experience animals great and small.
There are always plenty of animals to watch: Turtles, Owls, Hawks, Alligator Gar, Ducks, Occasional Snakes, and Nutria. The rule is that we do catch any animals except turtles and then we only capture the Painted or Red Sliders. Even though the snapping turtles are everywhere like cockroaches, I don’t want my son injuring himself with a nasty bite. My son always brings his pole net in the anticipation of catching a turtle. I would estimate he has a 25 percent success rate on our kayak ventures of catching a turtle. When holds his captured prize, you would think that he is holding a bar of gold. For those who are wondering, we keep the turtle for two days then release the turtle back into nature.
On our way back this past Sunday, we observed a 4-foot Python snake wrapped around a submerged tree branch waiting for the mullet minnows to swim by. I was in absolute disbelief that I was observing a Python and not a Water Moccasin. I easily scoped him up in my son’s pole net and tried to twist the net so the Python could not escape. Just before I was able to twist the net, the Python catapulted out of the net and swam across the river. I could not paddle the kayak fast enough to capture the Python again.
My son asked, ‘Daddy what is a Python doing in Florida?’ It really bothered me too that we just observed an invasive snake species in our nature. I responded that I suspected that the Python either escaped or that it was released because the pet owner did not want it anymore. The more I thought about it, the more it really scared me that invasive reptile species had the ability to mature in the wild and truly pose a threat to humans and our pets. Last week’s article about a Python eating a family’s pet in Australia seemed humorous then but, it was not humorous anymore.
Python stalks, eats family dog in front of kids
Horrified children watch as 16-foot snake swallows their pet whole
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23364108/
In South Florida, Pythons are flourishing. I predict that stories like this will become a real reality here in Jacksonville Florida in a few years after what my son and I observed.
Pythons Gone Wild: Freed Pet Snakes Thrive In Everglades
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/Fish/southflorida/news/pythonsgonewild2004.html
This is one of those times where I struggle as a Libertarian and my desire to control others ability to own exotic animals. I suspect that Pythons are just the tip of the iceberg of the species of reptiles that are owned and sold in Florida. With our sub-tropical climate, these invasive species can easily multiply and prosper into maturity. Who is to say that someone is not breeding Anacondas in Florida? When I begin observing snakes longer than my tandem kayak (13 Feet), I will probably find another water hobby.
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