Boas, Pythons on the Crawl in Florida : Snakes Dumped in Florida Grow Into Big Problems

In just two years, an exotic snake abandoned in the wild can grow from a cute pet into a raccoon-eating monster, and large snakes are becoming a large animal control problem in southern Florida.

Big pythons and boa constrictors have been popping up with unwelcome regularity, but the capture of 15-, 12- and 10-foot snakes within eight days in June in Palm Beach County were evidence the problem is getting bigger.

“A lot of people think it’s nifty to have these snakes as pets,” said Ron Magill, assistant curator of Miami’s MetroZoo. “Within a few years, that snake can exceed 10 feet. . . . They’re also escape artists.”

But the escapees are only part of the problem in a region that offers an ideal climate for the cold-blooded, cold-wary animals.

Wildlife experts believe dozens of snakes have been abandoned in the wild by pet owners after the novelty wears off, the feeding gets too expensive, medical bills get too high or the snakes become a threat to their owners.

“They release it, evidently unaware or not caring about the impact on the natural environment or the human population in Florida,” said Lt. Jim Hoffstodt, spokesman for the state Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission in West Palm Beach.

Last summer, Todd Hardwick, a private trapper of nuisance animals, captured 20-foot, 250-pound Big Mama, a reticulated python that landed him and her on “The Tonight Show.” A crawl space under a Ft. Lauderdale house was the snake’s home--apparently for years.

“I get reports all the time of big snakes down on Old Cutler Road,” a suburban Miami thoroughfare that borders mangrove swamps, Hardwick said. “Airboaters and hunters see big ones in the Everglades, so there’s a lot more out there.”

State officials acknowledge that they don’t have a good grasp on the numbers. But Magill warned: “Keep in mind, I think for every snake that’s found, there’s 10 of them that are never seen.”

In 1987 and 1988, the Port of Miami handled imports of 1.26 million reptiles, including snakes, turtles and lizards. A total of 18,150 ball pythons, a constrictor known to curl up in a ball, cleared customs.

“People don’t realize the sheer amounts of animals moving through this country, the amounts being imported into the United States for the pet trade,” said Lt. Tom Quinn of the U.S. Custom Service’s inspections division in Tallahassee.

And Hardwick said he has found baby constrictors at two locations in Miami’s Dade County, indicating that the big snakes may be mating in the wild. Boas can give birth to 60 offspring at a time.

But the biggest may be ahead. A python “as big as Big Mama or bigger yet” is being spotted every few months in a rugged, inaccessible area of Dade County, Hardwick said.

“I’m waiting for my opportunity to apprehend it,” he said, refusing to disclose the location.

The state tightened regulation of venomous reptiles July 1 to require one year’s experience with the species, but non-venomous snakes such as the constricting boas and pythons aren’t covered. No permit is needed for ownership.