This week in Time Magazine for Kids we read about the Burmese Pythons that are causing all kinds of problems to the native species in the fragile ecosystem of Everglades National Park, in Florida. The problem is that people buy the Southeast Asian snakes as pets when then are only 20 inches long. But within one year, these snakes can grow to be over 8 feet long. Adult pythons grow to over 20 feet long and weigh up to 200 pounds! The owners can no longer care for these large reptiles, so they release them into the wild. The Everglades provide a perfect home for the pythons, because they have no natural predators here. This means that there is nothing to stop them from completely taking over from the top of the food chain! As of July 2009, specialists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC) have permitted licensed hunters to come in and capture these pythons so they will stop destroying the native wildlife of the Everglades. There are over 150,000 non-native pythons in the Everglades, and as of last week, only 14 had been captured under the new hunting permits. What else can the FWC and all of us do to solve this problem and save the Everglades?
17 comments:
Hi class!
This is Nate from Miami. A good friend of mine has 2 snakes! Both are pythons that are about 4 feet in length with plenty of growing to do. There is a problem here in Miami, where I'm currently located, with people who are letting their large snakes slither into the wild, not knowing the potential harm that it may have on the community around them. To eliminate this problem, or to at least contain it, I have two ideas; One would be to create more liberal hunting rights for the thrill-seakers out for an afternoon of snake-hunting-adventure. Im sure there would be plenty of people out there who would jump all over the chance to slay these monsters! My second idea would be having a collaborative effort in trying to get snake skin back on the fashion map! I mean please! I'm living in one of the top 3 fashion capitals of the world- once we all do our part in bringing back snake skin to its pinnacle of fashionable popularity, that could very well wipe out every reptile in Miami, eliminating the problem all together, as well as stopping some potential problems that could occur in the future from other reptiles such as the feared Komoto Dragon, poisonous toads, and Geckos. (They're not as friendly as the little green cartoon you see for the Geico commercials, these little guys are deadly!)
Ms. Springer and her class!! Great blog site!! I am incredibly impressed! I am a teacher in Barcelona, Spain, and I found this section to be so interesting that I will be going to the international school I teach at here in the city, and I will share it with my students and see what they think! Keep up the good work, and I look forward to checking out all of the cool things you will be doing with your AWESOME teacher this year!! Good luck!
Miss Ford!!!
Thanks for sharing the information on pythons in the Everglades-you are never too old to learn something new.
Lisa
Australia has lots of introduced species, and they can cause a lot of problems. When the Europeans first came here, they were taken aback by all the strange animals (we do have some weird ones), so they brought over familiar ones. They released foxes and rabbits so that they could go hunting for pleasure, and now the rabbits are a real problem. They also brought over camels when they were building the railways through the outback, and now we have the only wild camels in the world. There are herds of wild horses called brumbies, and also feral pigs. But one of the biggest problems are cats! They don't have any predators here, and they kill a lot of the native birds.
Dear Ms. Springer's class,
I think snakes are very cool but I would never want to find one in my house! Are there snakes in Commerce City, Colorado?
Sincerely,
Ms. Walker
Hi Rose Hill 5th graders! It's Mrs. Ceretto in E-11 at Rose Hill! What a cool topic to learn about! I would love for you all to come down and tell my students about what you are learning! I want to know, what are your favorite topics to learn about?
Class,
Thanks for tackling this problem. I think it's really important that we take an interest in issues outside our own town so that when something arises in Colorado we know how to handle them. Can you compare/contrast this issue to an animal control problem that we're having in Colorado?
Thanks!
Ms. Monahan, 8th grade teacher at Kearney Middle School
Hey Everyone! I'm not going to lie to you, 20 foot long pythons cruising around Florida with no natural predators scares me silly! Maybe we can turn them into sushi. Do you guys like sushi? I think one of you guys should come up with a plan to help save the fragile ecosystem down there. My idea doesn't sound that smart, what do you guys think?
-Jake from New York City
HI Class! This is Mel from East Lansing, MI. What an intersting and important topic to be discussing. It is quite scary that these pythons are takikng over the Everglades. One suggestion I have about preventing this problem is that people selling these snakes as pets should educate potential python owners about how difficult it can be to raise a LARGE snake. Also informing individuals about the disruption and harm being done in the Everglades may presuade people to purchase more managable pets like a cat or dog. Great blog Ms. Springer! Can't wait to see what other topics are discussed:)
Hey 5th graders! ;)
Great start to the new year! :) I, for one, like learning as much as I can about lots of things. So, to hear that you are learning about snakes is fabulous! I know that my kindergarteners would love it if you all strolled down and shared with us what you have discovered!
:)
-Ms. Lo
Hi Ms. Springer's class!
I heard about this on NPR a few weeks ago... yikes I'm glad I don't live in Florida! I'm not a big fan of 8 foot pythons! Stories like this definitely show us the impact our decisions have on the environment and our ecosystems. Sure it doesn't seem like a big deal for one person to let their overgrown pet loose in the wild... but all those individual decisions add up and make for a big problem! 2 thoughts for you: Are there ways in addition to allowing hunting that could help reduce the number of pythons like traps or bait? Second, what could the state do to discourage python owners from doing this in the future so that the problem doesn't keep growing? Educate potential pet owners, provide incentives for pet owners to turn their overgrown pythons in to a state agency rather than dump them in the Everglades, etc. Should Florida even continue to allow people to buy these snakes as pets considering what it is now costing the state and the local environment? Maybe not. That's just my opinion, what do you think?
Liz from Grand Rapids, MI
Hi Class,
This is Marc from East Lansing, Michigan. Very interesting blog. It's easy to see the impacts invasive species have on an ecosystem especially when the non-natural impact is 200 lbs. In Michigan we are facing habitat and environmental degradation from invasive species too but our major culprits are much smaller than pythons and generally impact the lower end of the food chain. Eventually the impacts can be seen at the top of the food chain and we too are without a definitive response. I look forward to reading more about how Florida responds to this emerging issue.
Best,
Marc
Hello 5th grade Panthers!
Wow! I knew FL had iguana problems for the same reason but had no idea about the pythons. It sounds like there is a great need for "educating" the public about being "responsible" and "reasonable" pet owners. I am curious to hear about some of the suggestions your class came up with to suggest to FWC.
Keep up all the great learning and using 21st technology.
Happy Fall!
Deborah from Thornton, CO
Hello to Ms. Springer's Class,
What an interesting, and scary article. I spent time in the Everglades many years ago both biking and camping. There was not the python problem back then, but can you imagine waking up in a tent with a python staring at you through your tent screen? I think about the recreational impact this is having on the Everglades in addition to the environmental impact. I would be interested in knowing if campsites and bike paths are less full due to fear of they python. People need to stop and think about the impact of their actions.
P.S. I think Ms. Springer is COOL!
Mrs. O'Brien East Lansing, Michigan
Hello to Ms. Springer's Class,
I spent time in the Everglades many years ago biking and camping. There was not the python problem back then, but can you imagine waking up to a python staring at you through a tent screen!! I wonder about the recreational impact this is having on the park. Are the bike paths and campgrounds less full now because people are afraid? I guess we all have to be very aware of the impact our actions have on others.
P.S. I think Ms. Springer is COOL!
Mrs. O'Brien
Michigan
hi ms.springer i agree that we should keep our snakes indoors and not outside,and that if you cant handle a 23ft long snake then dont buy one even if you do want it badly because youl probably just let it go one day or another.I hope that the pythons get under controle because the native animals are at risk.The pythons are takeing over the ever glades and one day if they dont get under controle they might come here to comer city and well find them in our houses and outside.I dont want to find one of those things in my house because of my baby brother or sister they might get ahold of it and get bitten!I wish Icould help the python control because I like challenging,but im to young.this is my comment for now see you on monday by.Isaiah
Uhhhh!I hate snakes !I think that something we should do to eliminate this problem is that people shouldnt buy snakes if after they grow there not going to take care of them.Also instead of people letting them out to the wild they should take them to a proffecional.Thats what i think people should do to eliminate this problem. from Maria
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