Citing environmental damage caused by a feral population of Burmese pythons in the Everglades of southern Florida, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) in February introduced a bill that would add the entire Python genera to the injurious wildlife list under the Lacey Act.

“They impact almost 70 endangered species living in the Everglades and threaten to upset the natural balance that we are spending billions of dollars to restore,” said Nelson in introducing Senate Bill 373.

Python populations also have been discovered in Big Cypress National Preserve, Miami’s water management areas, Key Largo and many state parks, municipalities, and public and private lands in the region, Nelson said. “Because climate range projections from the U.S. Geological Survey show that pythons may soon expand their range to include much of the southern third of the United States, getting their populations under control is even more pressing.”

The problem is, the bill would unilaterally ban importation and interstate commerce of every species of python—even species that could not become established in northern climes, according to the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (Washington).

Furthermore, the bill would supplant a scientific risk analysis already underway by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine whether any species of snakes from the Python, Boa and Eunectes genera should be listed as injurious wildlife.

Senate Bill 373 circumvents the normal listing process which affords the public an opportunity to submit written comments on the Service’s findings,” said a PIJAC PetAlert.

The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
For updates, go to www.pijac.org and click on the Senate Bill 373 Forum.

Also at the forum, you can participate in a survey designed to gather information from retailers, breeders and other stakeholders involved with python species.

Information will be consolidated into a report showing the scope of interest and economic investment in these species. All responses will be kept confidential and only combined results will be used.

If you are a manufacturer, or sell python-related products, please contact PIJAC directly.

For more information, contact PIJAC’s Marshall Meyers at (202) 452-1525 or mmeyers@pijac.org. [April 2009 PET AGE]