Stopping imports(and a Couple questions)

[shhhli]

Prehaps not if they're so numerous they obstruct daily activities. Depending on how many there are...

[daniel1983]

Why would they be a nuisance animal?

When you live in parts of a country where cobras and mambas are responsible for 100's of deaths a year, any snake can be a nuisance animal unless people are educated about it and it serves some purpose in their minds.

[Sputnik]

A lot of cultures that grow up around animals, know what they are and what is safe and what is dangerous. I think the nuisance issue is a non issue really.

[xdeus]

When you live in parts of a country where cobras and mambas are responsible for 100's of deaths a year, any snake can be a nuisance animal unless people are educated about it and it serves some purpose in their minds.

I suppose that's true, but with the huge market for Balls in Africa, one would think that everyone there would at least know how to recognize one and know that they're harmless. I can understand if they needed them for food, but I can't imagine too many places seeing them as a nuisance animal unless they are attracting more dangerous snakes like cobras.

[Emilio]

I think they do attract cobra's , there was this one show on animal planet that showed a snake trapper useing dead ball pythons for bait. Some of you must of seen this , the whole show was in Miami the owner of the king cobra was careless and it got away. So they called this guy and he caught the cobra with a ball python. it bothered me to see what he used as bait but it worked.

[Sputnik]

I think they do attract cobra's , there was this one show on animal planet that showed a snake trapper useing dead ball pythons for bait. Some of you must of seen this , the whole show was in Miami the owner of the king cobra was careless and it got away. So they called this guy and he caught the cobra with a ball python. it bothered me to see what he used as bait but it worked.

Yup, you know what... you 100% correct... some people who own cobras feed balls to them at times. Which does or could make it a nuisance issue... so I stand corrected on that!

Of course, in India cobras are attracted to peoples homes because of rodents. In Africa, you have a double header with them being attracted to both rodents and ball pythons. So yeah it could make ball pythons a nuisance issue to the people living there, but I doubt they fear the ball python!

[KalonjiBP]

I have to ask, the vast majority imported die? Any research to back that up?

If so, I'd like to see it...............

I'm not a fan of the way they are imported and that to me is the issue, not so much the importing.

I was not stating a fact just going of of what i though happened to imported balls that get put in homes/or hands of ppl who don't know what there doing and then the snakes end up dying.

Don't get me wrong now I'm all for new morphs so i think it shouldn't be stopped but at least slowed. As many of you have also stated, the way in which they are imported and the standards that they are imported by should be raised.

And as always Adam the bp Priest gave some great information, I never knew about them possibly becoming a possible nuisance. Thats some interesting information.

You guys have some great opinions.

[xdeus]

Which does or could make it a nuisance issue... so I stand corrected on that!

I think it's still "could" unless shown otherwise. It still seems to me that a population of harmless snakes capable of keeping the rodent population down would be much more of a benefit than a nuisance.

[SnakeySnakeSnake]

Do you think there is enough genetic diversity in the US at the moment?


I think it has already been covered in this thread enough, but to take away this moneymaker from the people in these countries would also be kinda harsh.

[Sputnik]

I think it's still "could" unless shown otherwise. It still seems to me that a population of harmless snakes capable of keeping the rodent population down would be much more of a benefit than a nuisance.

Cobras are pretty much a free roaming predator, so they will be there anyway. I'm sure ball pythons contribute somewhat to keeping rodent populations down.


Problem as I see it is, none of us here live there... so we really don't know what it is like to live there day to day through the changing seasons, so I don't think we really know what is an issue for those people and what isn't. We can only debate it. From what I know, fresh clean water is one concern!