Tropicals & Tender Perennials: USDA chopped my imported plants from Thailand!, 1 by Ncasselberryfla

Ncasselberryfla wrote:
These things are--YUK! Sorry---I was at Fairchild Tropical Gardens last time and these giant ones were everywhere eating the flowers. Some were huge and downright frightening looking! They are about impossible to catch--if you wanted too-LOL, and, they would often dive into the water and swim underwater to get away. I understand in S. America they are eaten as commonly as chicken here. Perhaps they would make a good food source if trapped humanely, for starving people in other parts of the hemisphere> Catch, freeze, and ship. Freezing is very humane for reptiles. Anyway, I never understood the scope of the problem this invasive and non-native species is causing until I went to Fairchild that day. Now I understand. When you see something like this that is out of place and obviously running about in nonsustainable numbers, you figure it out quickly. Florida has become a dumping ground for exotis from irresponsible people. In the Everglades there are now HUGE pythons they cannot eradicate that are killing off the native wildlife, and then, moving into neighborhoods and eating peoples' pet dogs and cats. Cobras have been spotted in the wild, and the Nile Monitor lizard is making life near the Naples area quite interesting, I hear. This bad boy is just a little smaller than its relative the Komodo Dragon. One bite from its mouth can kill you because to fhe FOUL bacteria that reside there. Oddly, feral dogs and cats that used to be nuisances are becomg food for these beasties. True, I love animals as much as the next, but this is getting out of control here and I think you really have to have lived here recently to appreciate it. I am fortunate in that I live a little further north where we do have some cold weather. it has thus far kept these critters out of here, Thank God. Oh, onmelast thing on iguanas---they spread salmonella bacteria, and can cause nasty infections by scratching you with their razor sharp claws if you are unfortunate and get too close. I never knew an iguana could move so fast until I saw one do it. Man--these things can MOVE!