EXOTIC Pets That Are TAKING OVER Florida!

hi everyone its Katrina did you know that Florida is home to hundreds of invasive animal species from giant pythons to deadly monkeys here are eight abandoned exotic animals that are taking over the Sunshine State number eight Burmese python 27 years ago southern Florida was ravaged by Hurricane Andrew the category 5 hurricane was the most destructive tropical storm to hit the state until OMA passed through during late 2017 the damage was extensive one unexpected consequence of Hurricane Andrew was the release of captive Burmese pythons into the regional ecosystem the non-native snake species has since flourished at an ever-increasing cost to local wildlife species to be fair Florida's Python problem got off to a trickling start about a decade before Hurricane Andrew when the Southeast Asian Burmese python began being imported into the US as an exotic pet the Burmese python weighs up to 200 pounds and grows to be somewhere between 15 and 20 feet long it's among the five largest snake species in the world and many who took on the responsibility of caring for one soon realized that they had gotten in over their heads as a result Floridians who felt burdened by their pet pythons just let them go out into the wild the first known sighting of a Burmese python in the everglades occurred during the 1980s but the 734 square mile park certainly wasn't infested that changed when Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992 a building that was being used as a breeding facility for Burmese pythons sustained extensive damage and many of the snakes escaped within days of the storm hundreds of reported sightings of large snakes poured into the offices of the miami-dade County environmental authorities the problem worsened from there since their hurricanes species that had long flourished in the Everglades including rabbits and foxes have almost disappeared meanwhile the losses to the area's raccoon and opossum populations are estimated at a devastating 99 percent like many invasive species Burmese pythons have thrived to the lack of predators in their newfound habitat the alligator is the only species throughout Florida that targets Burmese pythons according to Python hunter Donna Cali a full-grown snake can consume a deer or a human with relative ease and it certainly won't hesitate to eat anything smaller including house pets Khaleel is one of many Florida residents who have taken advantage of the state's unrestrictive policy for hunting pythons under the policy in nearly anyone who lives in Florida can participate no permit is required and hunting season last year round this policy was adopted as an attempt to get the burgeoning Python population under control despite the implementation of this policy pythons continue to thrive in Florida females lay up to 100 eggs annually and the species has a lifespan of about 15 years this is one case where hunters are not eliminating them as quickly as they reproduce due to limited food sources Florida's Python population has started to spread and in 2012 one was spotted in southern Georgia experts fear that climate change and their search for food may eventually enable Burmese pythons to spread to parts of the u.s. that are currently too cold for them to inhabit and then we will have a big crisis on our hands number seven green iguana the green iguana is Florida's most invasive species due largely to the uninformed decision of many people to get one as a pet without realizing how much care they need iguanas need lots of food they become hostile during mating season and can grow to up to five feet long hundreds of thousands of iguanas have taken up residence throughout Florida's Broward miami-dade and Palm Beach counties they openly roam through parks and yards and have become a constant nuisance by relieving themselves in pools damaging homes and patios and even causing power outages one Hollywood Florida woman named Grace Tavita explained to the South Florida Sun Sentinel in June 2018 that iguanas had taken over both her home and workplace after the power went out at her office she noticed an iguana with a wire hanging out of its mouth it took several days for the power to be restored another time divita discovered that an iguana was the culprit of a clogged toilet at her residence to combat the out-of-control iguana population Floridians have resorted to somewhat drastic measures under state law it's legal to kill iguanas using certain specified methods which are considered humane some people are even paid by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation to hunt and kill them others like Thomas porta wile owner of the Fort Lauderdale based private sector company Aguada control have profited by helping people combat the unwelcome reptiles the iguanas that have taken over parts of Florida do not have any natural predators in the region and thereby oppose a heavy threat to local wildlife number six the Nile monitor thanks yet again to pet owners not knowing how to handle their unwanted reptiles Africa's largest lizard now also bears the distinction of being Florida's largest lizard the Nile monitor was first spotted in Cape Coral in 1990 after most likely being abandoned by an aspiring exotic pet owner who was ill-prepared for the responsibilities associated with caring for the large and intelligent species like the Burmese python and the green iguana the Nile monitor reproduces rapidly and quickly became a nuisance throughout southwestern Florida especially along otherwise desirable waterfront properties the state now hosts three main breeding populations the largest of which consists of over 1,000 members while Nile monitors are considered unwelcome intruders in Florida their populations in their native regions are dwindling as a result of their skins being used for clothing shoes and handbags and from being recaptured and shipped overseas as exotic pets according to researchers Stephanie Dowell and Yvonne jacala the species of monitor lizard that populates Florida is of a variety that is not biologically adept at handling cold weather therefore it's unlikely that they will migrate too far outside the state however there is another species of monitor lizard that is capable of hibernating during the winter and while it hasn't been introduced to the exotic pet industry in the US the consequences for the country's wildlife could be catastrophic if it did in fact reach American soil invasive species are not at fault for being invasive as this point highlights Steve Johnson from the University of Florida blames the state's failure to closely regulate what's being imported for the infestations of non-native species and now for number five but first if you are new here welcome and be sure to subscribe before you leave number five the African clawed frog in 2016 researchers from the University of Florida discovered a local population of the African clawed frog while frog is known to breed in various parts of the world their presence in Florida was previously unknown African clawed frogs have been commonly used since the 1930s as specimens for biological research and were also popular for determining if a woman was pregnant until the 1970s when modern pregnancy tests came along to find out if a woman was expecting a female frog was exposed to her urine and if the Frog laid eggs shortly thereafter the test results were considered positive African clawed frogs were captive ly bred to meet the widespread international demand of labs and hospitals then during the 50s or 60s people learned that they are easy to care for and a pet trade developed some ended up in the wild as escaped pets or were released because the African clawed frog lives for up to 15 years and lays up to 27,000 eggs at a time this species rarely struggles to survive while their existence in Florida has not yet reached concerning levels this could easily happen and researchers are currently studying these newfound frogs to see what can be done number four the giant African land snail after these animals on today's list it should come as no surprise to you that Florida has also been invaded by the world's largest terrestrial mollusk or the giant African land snail which grows to eight inches long and reaches a diameter of up to four inches the species supposedly established its presence in Florida in 1966 after a young boy smuggled a few into the country according to urban legend his grandmother made him free them into the backyard little knowing what was about to be unleashed her backyard was apparently awesome and the population soon swelled to over 18,000 in the 1970s the state embarked on a 1 million dollar eradication program however in 2011 it was discovered that Florida's giant snail population is alive and well some suspect that the epidemic of snails has been exacerbated by their illegal import for religious uses this species is not merely an annoyance it's known to cause permanent damage to certain building materials such as stucco and plaster and carries a parasite that can cause meningitis in humans as if that weren't bad enough the giant African land snail consumes over 500 different species of plants and animals and therefore wreaks havoc on almost any environment it inhabits it can also survive in a variety of climates due to its ability to enter prolonged states of dormancy and has already spread to several non neighboring states such as Virginia Maryland Kentucky California and North Carolina just to name a few and African snails don't just pop up unless people put them there unlike Florida's other invasive species which reproduce at an alarming rate to begin with giant snails can make eggs without a mate and possess the ability to change sexes depending on what they need very convenient for taking over the world according to Florida Agriculture officials these creepy crawlers are concentrated in 21 main areas throughout southern Florida especially around Miami in 2015 a research team led by US Geological Survey biologist Deborah Juana wits collected samples from snails in seven of those twenty-one areas the rat lungworm parasite was found in some of those samples while this infection is rarely life-threatening to humans handling a giant land snail could result in a stiff neck vomiting and intense headaches number three feral hogs wild hugs are problems throughout all of Florida's 67 counties and may have first arrived in the state as early as 1539 courtesy of Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto for hunting and food they can grow between five and six feet long and can weigh upwards of 150 pounds keeping a feral hog off your property is a major challenge while the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recommends adequate fencing the agency fails to mention just how much fencing is considered adequate recently frustrated residents at a retirement community in Sun City Center took to the news to voice their complaints about a group of hogs that has been destroying their properties and digging up their drainage ditches like many of her neighbors retiree Sandra macaw moved to her home to relax instead members of the community are faced with a mess left behind by the Hogs who even managed to knock down a barrier wall meant to protect properties from invasive wildlife so that's not working out under state policy Florida residents are responsible for addressing the unwelcome presence of wild hogs on their property they have the option of renting traps for around $600 a month and that's the extent to which the government is willing to help if a renter property owner manages to trap a feral hog they are not allowed to release it onto public land and must obtain the permission of a private landowner who's willing to take the animal so not so sure what to do after that number two the lionfish lionfish are beautiful to look at but they don't belong in Florida's waters these highly venomous fish are native to Indonesia and are equipped with very poisonous spines they are impressively adaptable and can survive in a variety of marine environments lionfish prey on nearly everything and can consume up to 30 times their stomach volume their presence as a non-native species in Florida is a certain threat to local wildlife especially because they breed three to four times faster than local species and have no natural predators experts have posed several theories about how the lionfish established a population off the Florida coast one theory holds that a batch of them escaped from an aquarium during Hurricane Andrew again and proceeded to breed like crazy and other theory posits that local marine life enthusiasts release some lionfish into the water after they realized that this species was willing to snack on everything else in their fish tank lionfish may have also made their way over in the ballasts of cruise ships which hold water to maintain buoyancy then release it when it's no longer needed the lionfish population has increased by as much as 700% in certain areas and stands to eradicate large portions of Florida's marine life if it's not stopped somehow in Florida there are no restrictions on catching wild fish and some local businesses even host lessons on how to catch clean and cook them last year the state government sponsored the lionfish challenge which lasted for several months and awarded cash prizes ranging from five hundred to five thousand dollars to both amateur and commercial fishers who turned in the invasive lionfish number one the rhesus macaque for the past 80 years Florida Silver Spring State Park has been home to a population of rhesus macaques a monkey that is native to South and Southeast Asia National Geographic reports that their population is estimated to double in size and they carry a deadly herpes virus in 1938 six monkeys were released onto a small island in the park as part of an attraction that has since been closed of course now they are all over Central Florida and are pretty aggressive some have even been found in residential areas and are running around on school roofs professors and biologists are warning people to stay away from them and it is also illegal to feed them the herpes virus can be spread through a bite or a scratch but so far no human deaths have been reported so the CDC says that the risk for transmission is low Florida wildlife officials removed 1,000 of the macaques between 1984 and 2012 and also sterilized 20 females but their efforts to curb the populations growth were in vain many were caught and sold to biomedical researchers these methods were seen by animal rights activists and members of the public as unethical and were therefore stopped for now the future of the potentially dangerous rhesus monkeys remains up in the air that's all for today but don't worry if you're in the Sunshine State you'll be fine just take care of your pets you never know what havoc might happen if you let them loose into the wild thanks for watching be sure to subscribe and I'll see you next time bye

Channel: Origins Explained

Views: 852,491

Rating: 4.4105501 out of 5

Keywords: origins explained, exotic pets, abandoned pets, taking over florida, pets in the wild, exotic animals, exotic animals taking over the ecosystem, ecosystem, taking over the world, abandoned pets in the ecosystem, pets you should never release in the wild, wild pets, released pets, house pets, release exotic pets, invasive species, wild animals, pets, exotic, florida, abandoned, wildlife, origins explained top 10

Id: cb9fUVZCLhQ

Length: 14min 24sec (864 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 14 2019