Should we be capturing the large ones, sterilizing them and rereleasing like we do for cats?
I wonder how you tag a python as spayed though. No ears.
I wonder how you tag a python as spayed though. No ears.
Domestic cats are an invasive species that decimate the native wildlife. "free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.3–4.0 billion birds and 6.3–22.3 billion mammals annually."[0]
Since we're talking about Florida, this is what their Fish & Game department has to say on the topic:
> * Domestic cats are not a part of Florida’s natural ecosystem. A single individual free-ranging cat may kill 100 or more birds and mammals per year. Scientists in Wisconsin estimate that cats kill at least 7.8 million birds per year in that state alone. Even cats with bells on their collars kill or injure birds and small mammals.
> * Cats compete with native wildlife and can spread disease. Outdoor cats have been identified as the primary host in the transmission of toxoplasmosis to wildlife, a disease which has caused death in manatees and other mammals.
[0]: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms2380 [1]: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/feral-cats/
A neutered python puts predation pressure on the rest. Creates crowding.
If only we could make a virus or alter their DNA to wipe them out ;-)