Don't Let It Loose - Help Restore the Everglades
The Problem
In 2007, more than 85 million visitors arrived by land, sea and air to enjoy a taste of our subtropical paradise. A great place to visit, south Florida is also an inviting destination for a few undesirable species and they threaten to undermine the health of our environment. More than an inconvenience, invasive plants and animals can greatly alter our native landscape, adversely impact native wildlife, destroy agricultural crops and threaten our health. Invasions of exotic species cost Floridians over $500 million each year. We spend more than $50 million annually just to eradicate exotic weeds from our fields, pastures, public lands and water ways. And the economic costs are small potatoes compared to the ecological ones. In south Florida, millions of acres of public lands help secure a unique quality of life for both tourists and residents. A diverse array of federal and state parks and preserves not only protect the world-renowned Everglades ecosystem, they furnish us with the water we drink, the air we breathe and countless recreational opportunities. Our nearby public lands are easy for us to visit but are also highly vulnerable to invasion by exotic plant and animal species more than 1.7 million acres of Florida's natural areas have become infested. Once an exotic species has made itself at home, giving it the old heave-ho is costly. Education, prevention, early detection and rapid response are the keys to protecting the Sunshine State. Success depends upon the involvement of government agencies, a variety of organizations, businesses and you!
More than an inconvenience, invasive plants and animals can greatly alter our native landscape, adversely impact native wildlife, destroy agricultural crops and threaten our health.
Nile Monitor
 | Nile monitors grow into powerful, six to seven-foot long adults with sharp teeth, whip-like tails and bad attitudes. Excellent swimmers, they can travel between the mainland and barrier islands and along canals. Nile monitors are indiscriminate carnivores and can eat just about anything they can catch and subdue, including people's small pets. Monitor lizards pose a threat to the eggs and young of ground nesting birds and reptiles like American crocodiles, burrowing owls and gopher tortoises. |
Pythons
Burmese, African rock and reticulated pythons can grow 20 feet or longer, weigh more than 200 pounds and live 25 years. At three years of age, a "small," 10-foot python will eat two rabbits a month. They are amazing creatures, but combine a huge, powerful body with an instinctive brain and you have an animal not suitable as a pet for most families. How big a problem is the Burmese python? More than 144,000 have been imported to the U.S. since 2005. In recent years, hundreds have wound up in Everglades National Park and surrounding areas - more than 230 were removed from the park in 2007 alone. And as if that wasn't bad enough - they are reproducing! Competing for habitat and prey with our large native snakes, the pythons consume a wide variety of native wildlife, including the American alligator and the endangered Key Largo woodrat. |  |
Sailfin Catfish
 | A native of South America, sailfin or suckermouth catfish were probably first introduced into our waters as fish farm escapees and aquarium releases. Observed regularly in urban canals, sailfin catfish are one of the most abundant and widespread of the exotic catfishes in Florida. They are now found throughout central and south Florida and are known to create spawning burrows along shorelines and canal banks, sometimes undermining lake shorelines. More Information, Images and Distribution of Sailfin Catfish |
Five things you can do:
- Be a Responsible Pet Owner! Reptiles and fish are popular pets. Be sure to learn about the needs of a particular species before you buy.
- Learn to identify our incredible native reptiles so you won't confuse them with exotics. Keep our natives safe and sound in their natural habitats!
- If you have a pet reptile, like a red-eared slider, make sure you know about changes in regulations.
- Check your state regulations and go fishing! Most of our exotic fish have no bag limit.
- Learn about smaller exotic reptiles now posing problems in the wild, like the Tokay gecko and the Cuban anole. Never release aquarium critters and plants to Florida's water bodies. Do not keep them in outdoor ponds. If you can no longer care for your pet, find someone who can. Remember, Don't Let it Loose!
Got a Problem Python or a Nasty Nile Monitor?
To request removal of a nuisance python or unwanted pet reptile, please contact 911. If you observe a dead python or other large constrictor, please contact the Python Hotline at 305-815-2080 or report online using EDDMapS.
Have an unmanageable exotic pet?
Bring exotic pets that can no longer be cared for to a Nonnative Pet Amnesty Day near you. Nonnative Pet Amnesty Days Free and Open to the Public Nonnative Pet Amnesty Days are Sponsored by The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Dates and locations for upcoming Nonnative pet amnesty days can be found at: MyFWC.com/nonnatives