Python invasion

Abandoned Burmese pythons threaten Florida wildlife

source: New Scientist vol 213 no 2850, February 4 2012, p5

Burmese pythons abandoned by their owners have had a serious impact on mammals in the Florida Everglades. Some mammal species have suffered declines of 99%, according to Michael Dorcas from Davidson College, North Carolina. He and his team recorded live and dead animals in Everglades roads from 2003 to 2011, and compared their findings with data from 1993 to 1999. Burmese pythons became a recognised Everglades species in 2000. Seriously affected species include raccoons, down by 99.3%, opussums, down by 98.9%, and bobcats, down by 87.5%. These species have not suffered declines in locations free from Burmese pythons. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has prohibited imports of Burmese pythons as well as transporting them from one US state to another.
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