Are pythons invading Georgia?

[marmar]

Georgia wildlife biologists felt a little thrill of fear when they saw a news item out of south Georgia last month.

Two men saw an 11-foot Burmese python slithering across a Charlton County back road, followed it into the woods and shot it.

The biologists weren’t worried about the unfortunate python’s fate, however.

Their fear was for the future of the Okefenokee Swamp, much of which is in Charlton, Georgia’s southernmost county. Burmese pythons, invasive natives of Asia, have already overrun the Everglades and Big Cypress swamps in south Florida, taking a drastic toll on the swamps’ mammal and bird life and altering the swamp’s ecology in ways that will play out for decades. .....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/metro/2012-12-07/are-pythons-invading-georgia

[longship]

1. Yes! And they're bringing SPAM!

Oh! The humanity!

[elfin]

2. Read in a New Yorker article a few years ago that with warming,

The pythons could travel and live quite far north. NY state as I recall in a decade or two.

Will check their archives, but think too long ago.

Just checked - in archives April 2009, "Swamp Things" by Bilger. Can't figure out how to cut and past from the digital copy, but the author postulates that they could reach New York State by 2100 at current rate of warming and the wide range of zones they occupy in their native habitats.

Don't know if you can access it with this bookmark if not a subscriber, but here it is. Terrific and scary article.

http://archives.newyorker.com/ipad/?i=2009-04-20#folio=086

[RebelOne]

3. I haven't seen any up here in North Georgia.

But if they do migrate up here, it would not bother me as I like snakes. I had 2 pet boa constrictors many years ago.

[Warpy]

4. Burmese pythons are a little different. They eat small children

and pets and when they're large enough, have been spotted eating mid sized alligators, which means livestock won't be safe.

You don't want them. I think eventually there will be roundups and bounties on them, a legitimate use for all the guns in Dixie.

ETA: I'm fond of snakes, too. They are beautiful creatures and downright cuddly in cool weather. Invasive snakes like the Burmese python are different. They don't belong here.

[HooptieWagon]

5. They're a big problem in the Everglades.

And I'm not surprised they would migrate to Georgia. I would also imagine they would migrate west to Ala, Miss, and La.