The FWC
Temperature: 28 degrees mainly clear skies.
The FWC (Florida Wildlife Conservation) is a group which primarily aims to aid the ongoing crisis of invasive species in south Florida. The FWC's main goals in tackling this issue is to:
- Prevent any more invasive species entering South Florida.
- Detect any invasive species as soon as possible.
- Respond to the problem immediately to ensure it does not worsen.
- Control the effects of invasive species to the best of their ability (many invasive species are believed to be 'too far on' and must be controlled rather than removed e,g, Burmese Python.
- Educate and spread awareness of the ongoing problem with invasive species.
We had a very interesting talk at the Lakeland Regional Office and I was surprised at how much of an effect invasive species have in the local area and it's species. There is 600 plus non-native species in Florida (over 50 plus are reptilian) and this is primarily due to the ideal climate, quantity of ports and the exotic pet trade (which was very unregulated in the past).
The Burmese Python (python bivittatus)
The Burmese Python (one of the worst invasive species in Florida) is an example of a non-native species introduced via exotic pet trades and a lot of times when the python gets to large their owners release them into the wild where they reproduce. The Burmese Python was reported first around the 1970s and determined to be breeding in 2000. The average sized Burmese Python caught in Florida is around 10 foot but the largest captured was 18 foot long and I think this really makes it clear how much of an impact an animal of that size can make in it's surrounding area. Another worry is the increasing number of Burmese Pythons found in South Florida, mainly in Alligator alley and suburban Miami-Dade.
During the talk we are also told about the Python challenge which annually occurs on behalf of University Florida (UF/IFAS) and the national park service.This consists mainly of python-removal competitions (prizes for most and biggest pythons caught) with 106 pythons removed this year. Improvement seemed to be shown as although less people participated python captures had doubled which I found to be really impressive. The main objective of the python challenge was to get more of the public involved with helping to remove the pythons and teaching to safely capture, report and dispose of the pythons.
Other non-native reptilian species and their impacts were also mentioned such as the Argentine black and white tegu (Salvator merianae), Rock pythons (Python sebae), Nile monitors (Varanus miloticus), Black spiny tailed iguanas (Ctenosaura similis) and chameleons (Chamaeleo zeylanicus). The ranger giving the talk showed us a captive Tegu which was really enjoyable but he also informed us of the problems they cause. These problems occur due to their increasing population (600 were caught in Miami-Dade alone), ability to eat almost anything (disrupting food chains, causing agricultural problems by eating fruit, crops etc,) and that they are able to overwinter during the cold season.
Aside from reptilian invasive species the ranger also mentioned others such as non-native deer and fish. The non-native deer include the Barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelli) which is endangered in India and cannot be removed. I found this to be a very interesting point of debate as it directly competes with the native white-tailed deer. Other non-native deer include the Axis (Cervus axis) and the red stag (Cervus elaphus). In regard to non-native fish the ranger mainly talked about the measures being taken to reduce their effects (with the exception of the lizard snakehead (Channa argus) which eats almost anything). He mentioned the annual canal surveys. life history studies and assessments.
I was very impressed when I heard the had a hotline and app to use when someone sees an invasive animal/plant which gives them your current location and can allows to upload an image of the animal seen. The ranger also mentioned Amnesty day which I think is a great idea as it allows people who were keeping illegal or unlicensed animals to turn them in without any repercussions. Without this I feel many of these animals would never have been turned and probably released into the wild if they become a nuisance to their owner. Also, Amnesty day includes educational displays and are informative so people can come and learn about these exotic animals even if they don't have to turn one in.
During the talk we are also told about the Python challenge which annually occurs on behalf of University Florida (UF/IFAS) and the national park service.This consists mainly of python-removal competitions (prizes for most and biggest pythons caught) with 106 pythons removed this year. Improvement seemed to be shown as although less people participated python captures had doubled which I found to be really impressive. The main objective of the python challenge was to get more of the public involved with helping to remove the pythons and teaching to safely capture, report and dispose of the pythons.
Other non-native reptilian species and their impacts were also mentioned such as the Argentine black and white tegu (Salvator merianae), Rock pythons (Python sebae), Nile monitors (Varanus miloticus), Black spiny tailed iguanas (Ctenosaura similis) and chameleons (Chamaeleo zeylanicus). The ranger giving the talk showed us a captive Tegu which was really enjoyable but he also informed us of the problems they cause. These problems occur due to their increasing population (600 were caught in Miami-Dade alone), ability to eat almost anything (disrupting food chains, causing agricultural problems by eating fruit, crops etc,) and that they are able to overwinter during the cold season.
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| A Tegu we had the pleasure of seeing during the talk. |
Aside from reptilian invasive species the ranger also mentioned others such as non-native deer and fish. The non-native deer include the Barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelli) which is endangered in India and cannot be removed. I found this to be a very interesting point of debate as it directly competes with the native white-tailed deer. Other non-native deer include the Axis (Cervus axis) and the red stag (Cervus elaphus). In regard to non-native fish the ranger mainly talked about the measures being taken to reduce their effects (with the exception of the lizard snakehead (Channa argus) which eats almost anything). He mentioned the annual canal surveys. life history studies and assessments.
I was very impressed when I heard the had a hotline and app to use when someone sees an invasive animal/plant which gives them your current location and can allows to upload an image of the animal seen. The ranger also mentioned Amnesty day which I think is a great idea as it allows people who were keeping illegal or unlicensed animals to turn them in without any repercussions. Without this I feel many of these animals would never have been turned and probably released into the wild if they become a nuisance to their owner. Also, Amnesty day includes educational displays and are informative so people can come and learn about these exotic animals even if they don't have to turn one in.
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