We lost to the iguanas
State wants to defeat anacondas, other predators while we still can
The iguanas have won. So have the Burmese pythons. And about 150 other unwelcome species look like they’re here to stay.
So the besieged state of Florida is now hoping to prevent other potentially damaging critters from setting up colonies that become almost impossible to wipe out.
More than a dozen species, from agile predators such as the mongoose to slithering constrictors like the yellow anaconda, will be banned under a plan agreed Thursday by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
“It costs much less to prevent a species from becoming established than it does to control them once they are here,” said Commis-
sioner Joshua Kellam. “What we need to do as a commission is focus on prevention early on to stop the next wave of invasive species.”
The planned ban on private ownership of the targeted species is part of a larger initiative to tighten the wildlife laws in a state whose swamps, forests and climate have welcomed non-native species ever since the Spanish released hogs in in the 16th century.
The reptiles in the cross hairs include the brown tree snake, the Burmese python’s South American cousin the yellow anaconda, the Beni anaconda and Deschauensee’s anaconda.
Mammals to be banned include the meerkat, mongoose, raccoon dog, dhole (a dog-like mammal from Asia), brushtail possum and flying fox.
And birds on the blacklist include the red-whiskered bulbul (an Asian bird that already has a foothold in Florida), dioch (a sparrowlike bird from Africa), Java sparrow and pink starling.
Most of those species haven’t gained a foothold yet in Florida. And while they are currently legal to sell as pets, most are not particularly popular, according to the commission.
“Preventing their establishment now, before there is an opportunity for them to become established, is the goal,” said Kristin Sommers, the state’s exotic species coordinator, in response to a series of emailed questions.
Most of the invaders on the Florida landscape were exotic pets that were released or escaped. After habitat loss, they are now considered the most significant threat to the diversity of animals, according to the wildlife commission.
Burmese pythons chow down on mammals and birds in the Everglades. Iguanas skitter around backyards and patios. A seven-foot Asian monitor lizard has been lurking around a Davie family’s house. And until Thursday, an escaped kangaroo was hopping around the Jupiter Farms section of western Palm Beach County.
In some ways, the state’s approach to non-native species has been a case of too little, too late. The state banned the sale of lionfish and Burmese pythons, for example, but only after they were so rampant it would be impossible to eradicate them. Sales of exotic reptiles and other animals continue through pet stores, reptile shows and the internet.
But the state has also imposed bans on some species before they became a problem, said Sommers, the exotic species coordinator. For example, she said, the state banned the sale of piranhas and freshwater stingrays while both are still absent from the state’s waters.
The wildlife commission, a seven-member board appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to supervise hunting, fishing and wildlife conservation, plans public workshops on the issue over the next few months, with the dates to be announced. Draft rules are expected to be presented to the commission in December.
“We are using a sciencebased risk screening and assessment approach,” Sommers said. “If a species may be a risk, we will bring it for public consideration on how to address those potential risks. That is what we will be doing in the workshops that we will be announcing shortly.”