I was reading the Miami Herald this sunday and found this article.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/v-fullstory/story/882789.html
Very quickly I thought about Herping and a whole new experience and adventure. I was thinking it might be cool to find out more and get involved.

I know that burmese pythons are not suppose to be here. I know this. But im not going on a hunt and snitch out an animal that I love and watch it be put down right in front of my eyes! I couldnt bare that. But I would love the oppurtunity to work with FWC and meet biologist and talk snakes. Man that'll be cool. But I wouldnt want to kill the burmese python. I know this is gonna be a little controversal but I wanted to get everyones voice and what you'll do.

Would you do something you love and go feild herping with a bunch of educated researchers?
Or would you just leave it alone and let the other volunteers and FWC handle whats going on in my backyard?

I would do it....but I am no expert but the snake in that picture looks more like a retic then a burm...

Definitely a retic.

I would do it....but I am no expert but the snake in that picture looks more like a retic then a burm...

Yeah I know. I guess they were teaching volunteers how to handle a wild Burmese.

Pet amnesty day. This was before the law became in affect. This allowed many keepers with animals of concern and just any animal they didnt want anymore to turn them in to the FWC. Great event. I met a bunch of people there:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/crisstyle21/Mysnakes426.jpg
My significant other involved in what I love.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/crisstyle21/Mysnakes424.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/crisstyle21/Mysnakes423.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/crisstyle21/Mysnakes422.jpg

Warning these pics are a little gruesome and graffic. But this is reality and what im seeing down here
These pics are a little old and I've posted them in other forums. As I was driving home from work I spotted a dead burmese python. I zoomed back home grabbed my girlfreind and camera and we took shotts of this guy on the side of the road.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/crisstyle21/Mysnakes317.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/crisstyle21/Mysnakes314.jpg
Lol if you look close, my girl still had her sweats on from when she was home.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/crisstyle21/Mysnakes310.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/crisstyle21/Mysnakes308.jpg

So this is my rant .... if they aint euthanizing all the other random pets that are let loose in the state of Florida -- they don't need to be euthanizing the snakes. Research my ass. :machinegun:

I feel ya, but this is what i have to say, I would find it very hard to go hunting for these burms knowing it was just to kill them. But just imagine how much heat would be let off of the reptile hobby if they were able to irradicate these burms. Im sure if it were ever possible for them to do it they would try to pass bills so it wont happen again but once a few years blow over it would fade.

Again not saying I could be the one out there huntming these guys down, but im trying to see a bright side to it.

So this is my rant .... if they aint euthanizing all the other random pets that are let loose in the state of Florida -- they don't need to be euthanizing the snakes. Research my ass. :machinegun:

F%#%#$@^ing DITTO! :yessir:

This is the biggest ball of BS...
If they just legalise the collecting of these guys in the wild they would have had this problem sorted in no amount of time, how many herpers would not pay good money to crawl around the glades to go herping for big wild burms, I sure would... But no, lets train a whole bunch of doosches that can’t even tell the difference between a retic and a burm how to catch one and then spend good US dollars on euthanizing them...Somebody has not been thinking.
Almost every native species of reptile is endangered out there-and that is with help from Fish and Wild life, but no, these huge, slow, relatively fragile snakes are going to thrive while everybody and his donkey is trying to kill them...
You just have to wonder at the power that fear and ignorance have in this world...Nobody has ever been injured by a burm in the glades, there isn’t even a case of a stupid drunk getting nailed late one night...you guys are already in a depression (sorry guys, recession is when you start eating out less, losing your J O B is a depression...) but your government has money, time and resources to spend on this...
“look at Obama's puppy, Look at Obama's puppy....while I steal every last sent you have...”
This is Effing depressing...
THE B

Good call Beast.

I just thought the comments down at the bottom were disgusting:

Shoot them critters. Why bother capturing? A 12 guage shotgun will take care of any python and a $10,000 fine for idiots releasing "pets" into the wild will help as well. And...how about a $2,500 license for keeping one of the critters? Most morons would not afford it, so, take the $2,500 from those who can, and give $250 reward for turning pet pythons in. This would solve the problem in 5 years. Extermination is best policy!!!!

Extermination is the best policy? WTF? Yeah I know it's just some random :ahole: spouting off online but how many people feel the same way?

If they weren't killing the snakes that are caught it might be a good time. But since that isn't an option I'm on the snake's side - my vote is No - not gunna help them kill a bunch of snakes.

I don't know. This is a tough one if you look at our industry in the long run. The biggest piece of propaganda they have for HR669 are situations like these where people may have let loose snakes. I'm a boa guy and if it were boas I would consider doing it for the good of the industry and the environment.

FIRST they should offer them to those that want them and that will keep them.

Is it illegal to go catch them and keep them if you want to? Or is that only because you can't own one in FL?

So I was chit chatting with the hubby about this last night and he wondered if perhaps they were killing them (as opposed to rehoming) so that they didn't have to accountable for an accurate record of the number of snakes caught. I guess this could go either way -- good cause they could hide how many they were actually catching or bad cause they could say they were catching more and it's a bigger issue than it really is. :cool: