Mar 22, 2009 12:07 pm US/Eastern
Owners Turn In Exotic Pets On Amnesty Day
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Pythons like this one have over-run the Everglades, so to prevent owners from abandoning other snakes and exotics the state is offering an Amnesty say
CBS
More than one hundred people took advantage of an amnesty program where they could turn in exotic pets they could no longer handle, or no longer want, no questions asked.
Saturday the state's
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Metrozoo hosted their fifth annual Pet Amnesty Day; a program that keeps exotic animals, birds, and reptiles from making their way into the environment, where they can crowd out native wildlife.
This year 102 animals including a
howler monkey, a couple of boa constrictors and an African tortoise were handed over by their owners.
The state only accepted snakes, fish, reptiles, birds and other animals which are not native to Florida. Domestic animals like cats and dogs, ferrets, and rabbits were not accepted.
In some cases, keeping non-native animals can be a violation of the law, but the state was willing to look the other way at the amnesty event, and make sure the animals turned in are relocated or, if necessary, humanely destroyed.
Florida has had a serious problem with people bringing exotic wildlife into the state, sometimes in violation of state and federal laws.
Small exotic animals grow, and when they get too large for the home, owners have simply released them into the wild.
Wildlife officials say the Everglades are being virtually overrun by pythons once kept as pets, but released by owners after the reptiles grew to unmanageable sizes.
Snakes longer than 10 feet have been reported in the Everglades, and their feeding habits are endangering other wildlife not equipped to deal with Pythons.
Iguanas released in parks have over-run some areas, such as Crandon Park on Key Biscayne, where trappers regularly hunt the reptiles to help keep the numbers down.
Please visit the
Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission for more information exotic wildlife impinging on native species in Florida's habitats.
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