Dear Judy, I sympathise but am not at all surprised by this. There are many non-native species that have been introduced without finding out first where and/or if their populations may explode. It is indeed a difficult problem to solve - escaped fish, wild horses, pigs or goats, European foxes and rodents, hundreds or maybe thousands of species of plants that have become invasive in this country. Sure, the Burmese python is unlikely to cause a threat anywhere in the US but in Florida, Hawaii or Puerto Rico and that would seem to make enforcement of law to ban them eveywhere ridiculous. Similarly, plant species that have gone wild and invasive in parts of the country are nearly impossible to keep alive elsewhere. It would appear to be ridiculous to ban them if that is the case. The trouble is that once the biological species (animal, plant, fish etc.) is within the country it can be transported within the country, from areas where its invasiveness is negligible to areas where it is not. The Algerian mustard that might barely survive is in most areas becomes a disaster in the southwestern deserts. And the python, so beloved to pet owners in New York, becomes a threat if transported to Florida and released there. For once and much as it displeases me, I am in agreement with the government policy. Unless people can be trusted to retain their possibly invasive pets or potentially weedy plants there appears to be no other solution. We cannot accept more Asian carp or kudzu vines. Australia has adopted an even stronger policy. There was no other choice. Andrew -----Original Message----- From: pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Judy Glattstein Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2011 5:45 AM To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org Subject: [pbs] OT - Invasive Snakes As you can read here in a New York Times article http://nytimes.com/2011/01/… pw the government is taking aim at non-native thought-to-be-invasive snakes. What caught my attention were the statements: "At the heart of their arguments[the snake owners] is a critique of the emerging science of invasive species risk assessment <http://plosone.org/article/info:doi/…>. And their response has highlighted the challenges that the government faces as it increasingly moves to protect native flora and fauna not just from current invasive species but also from future threats." and "Andrew Wyatt, the president of the [reptile keepers] association, argues that the government is now promoting a native-species-only agenda favored by environmental groups." Sound familiar? Judy in frigid and snow covered New Jersey where any outdoor Burmese pythons would be rendered unable to provide a threat