Exotic Pets Gone Wild

Buying a Burmese python probably seemed like a good idea when the little guy was just a foot long, but what do you do when it measures 10 feet, weighs 250 pounds and needs its own bedroom?

Officials in Florida have a solution: Drop the pet off at the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Nonnative Pet Amnesty Day, and they'll find a home for your unruly reptile.

According to a story in the Orlando Sentinel, the latest Pet Amnesty Day took place on October 3rd at Gatorland. Folks could bring in snakes, lizards, scorpions and other illegally- or legally-owned critters for officials to find homes for them at Gatorland or one of a dozen other organizations. A total of 46 reptiles were turned in this weekend, including 12 Burmese pythons and six emperor scorpions. The largest pet taken in was Speed Bump, a 250-pound Burmese python, which was adopted by Gatorland. Owners who brought in illegally-owned or unregistered reptiles were not penalized, and none of the pets were put down.

Nonnative Pet Amnesty Day started in 2006 and came as a response to Florida's growing problem with owners releasing exotic pets into the wild once they get too big or too difficult to care for. An ever-growing population of Burmese pythons has taken over the Everglades, and the snakes have been known to eat native animals like alligators, bobcats and endangered wood storks.

Nonnative Pet Amnesty Day was especially popular this year due to tightened permitting regulations and the fact that the state is considering a ban on exotics. Plus, a two-year-old Florida girl was killed by her family's python this summer, which understandably alarmed many exotic pet owners.

The next Pet Amnesty Day will take place on November 7th at Busch Gardens in Tampa, where wildlife officials expect to take in even more exotics.

And while pet owners may feel saddened to part with their pets (even if they are scorpions!), we're guessing the critters will probably be better off with trained professionals who can properly care for and house the animals.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.