WARNING: S373/ HR2811 Python BAN!!!

Senate Bill 373 (S373) sponsored by Senator Bill Nelson (D) from Florida, and the recently introduced House Resolution 2811 (HR2811) sponsored by Congressman Kendrick Week (D) from Florida, are identical. They are "Companion" Bills. Luckily neither has any co-sponsors or support, but they still must be taken very seriously. Congressman Week is going to run for Governor of Florida. Both Bills would add the genus python to the injurious wildlife list of the Lacy Act. If passed they would BAN the import, export and trade in most pythons.

USARK continues to stay at the forefront of these issues and on June 17 sent a letter to the Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar in regards to S373/ HR2811. We are concerned with the way pythons and the Reptile Nation have been mis characterized to promote ideological agendas.

Please click here to Join USARK with dollar for dollar matching from Zoo Med

Please click here to donate to USARK with dollar for dollar matching from Zoo Med

June 17, 2009

The Honorable Ken Salazar

Secretary

United States Department of the Interior

1849 C Street, NW

Washington, DC 20003

Dear Secretary Salazar,

On behalf of The United States Association of Reptile Keepers (USARK) and our thousands of members, I am contacting you to offer our expertise and support as your Department seeks solutions in addressing the non-native resident population of pythons within the Everglades National Park and surrounding area.  We share the Administration’s concerns that if left unchecked, this non-native species may possibly do damage to the ecosystem.  To demonstrate our support, USARK is pleased to commit $10,000.00 in matching funds to the Department of the Interior for efforts to eradicate the non-native python population.  We hope this initial commitment will help the Department encourage additional private sector funding to address this serious threat.

By way of background, USARK is a science and education based advocacy organization that promotes the responsible private ownership of, and trade in reptiles.  Our goal is to facilitate cooperation between government agencies, the scientific community, and the private sector in order to produce policy proposals that will effectively address important husbandry and conservation issues. The health of the animals, public safety, and maintaining ecological integrity are our primary concerns.  The Everglades is no different.

We think highly of your commitment to return scientific integrity to the Department and push aside the influence of politics in decision-making.  Therefore, we request your support in correcting the inaccurate information being put forth as the cause behind the presence of python populations in the Everglades National Park (ENP).  Repeatedly, National Park Service officials have placed direct blame for the presence of the python population solely as the result of people releasing one time pets into the ecosystem.   The National Park Service, specifically ENP’s chief biologist, is selectively providing only one side of a public and scientifically studied and analyzed hypothesis.   Disregarding much of the established science in this case is in our view reckless and undermines the integrity of the NPS and that of the Department. Additionally, it is proving damaging to the image and work carried out by the reptile keeper community and that of the pet trade industry.

In the case of the Everglades, we submit for your consideration “Final Report Genetic Characterization of Populations of the Non-indigenous Burmese Python in the Everglades National Park” (enclosed).  This document was prepared and coauthored by Mr. Skip Snow, who serves as the chief biologist at Everglades National Park.   Mr. Snow is the same person that has repeatedly stated in public meetings, news reports, congressional tours, and most recently when he escorted you on a tour of the park, that the cause of pythons in ENP is a direct result of release from pet owners.  However, he curiously omits the fact that his own study published in 2008 on the issue concludes that there is no clear determined reason for the existence of pythons in the ENP, and further states several theories for their presence.

As the report states, pythons have been found in ENP since the early 1980’s, and there have been numerous theories and questions about their origin.  The report on genetic tracing found that there “[i]s limited genetic differentiation among populations of Python molurus bivittatus in Everglades National Park, suggesting that the Burmese python populations are not genetically differentiated”.  In plain terms, this would indicate that the existence of pythons is likely not the result of any number of reptile keepers arbitrarily deciding to release their pythons into the ENP.  We can’t completely rule this out in scientific terms, but one would assume that if this were the case we would expect to see a much broader genetic differentiation. 

Rightly, the report offers that “[T]his lack of genetic differentiation could be the result of freely interbreeding panmictic population, or alternatively, isolated populations separately introduced from a genetically uniform captive-bred source population.”  

Simply stated, according to ENP’s biologist the source is not definitively known.  The report goes on to state that further genetic work could help clarify this question, but until then, the authors can only offer these two theories. 

It is my belief that in this case, solving the problem will prove more valuable than diverting resources to study the cause.  However, absent a clear determination I’m sure you would agree that it is both reckless and intellectually dishonest to vilify reptile keepers for the serious problem that exists in the ENP.

With that said, my letter to you today is not intended to admonish the Department, but to offer our assistance.   It is clear there is a potentially a problem in the ENP regarding the presence of python populations.  Your recent suggestions regarding creative approaches to dealing with this problem, as characterized by media reports, are in our opinion the right approach and in any case, this effort will certainly be long-term.  USARK is fortunate to have a significant membership in the State of Florida that is concerned with this issue.  It is critically important then that the Department prevent the mischaracterization of the cause of the problem so that we might focus our membership on aiding your efforts to find solutions. 

As you may know, over the past 40 years the occurrence of reptiles & amphibians (herps) in captivity has steadily increased.  During this period of time there have been extraordinary advances regarding successful husbandry and propagation techniques of herps.  Hundreds of species have been bred in captivity. While individuals and regional herpetological organizations have made laudable efforts to provide information and education about herps; both in nature and in captivity, there remains among the general population a segment with generally unfavorable views of reptiles - old beliefs and prejudices die hard - and a larger segment with unformed opinions.  As the case in the Everglades demonstrates, USARK believes that every attempt be made to inform and educate the public and involved government agencies about the importance of responsible reptile keeping, herpetoculture, and the value and importance of viable self-sustaining captive populations of reptiles.

Mr.. Secretary, thank you for considering our concerns specific to the National Park Service.  We hope you will read the enclosed information and that it will prove useful as solutions are sought to the python population in the Everglades.  Again, USARK offers its expertise and is available to discuss how it may aid in the effort. Furthermore, USARK hopes our financial offer will be of assistance.

Please do not hesitate to contact me personally with questions or comments. 

Respectfully Yours,

Andrew Wyatt

President

The United States Association of Reptile Keepers

PO Box 279

Grandy, NC 27939

president@...

252-207-1041

cc:
Senator Mark Udall, Chairman, Subcommittee on National Parks
Senator Richard Burr, Ranking Senator, Subcommittee on National Parks
Congressman Raul Grijalva, Chairman, Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands
Congressman Rob Bishop, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands
Mr. Dan Wenk, Acting Director, United States Park Service
Mr. Dan Kimball, Superintendant, Everglades National Park