Rock Python Kills Full Grown Husky in Fla; notes on snake prey, human predation

[Mike17]

Feral animals, and naturalised plant escapees, appear to be a big problem in Florida. I've seen TV reports on the ti tree bush (teatree) brought in from Oz to "help drain the Everglades" now running rampant all over as there are few local animals/insects which eat it. It's a similar problem in Australia, with feral pigs, dogs and especially cats, as well as foxes having been introduced for sport. These have decimated our marsupial mammals and birds. I consider the dingo, the "native dog", to be an introduced pest no better than naturalised domestic European dogs. It was spread by the Aboriginals, and thought to have arrived in northern Oz via the Lapita people some centuries ago. The dingo isn't much different to village dogs in SE Asia.

Snakes can be a big problem in Oz aviaries, and even homes, as can rats and even ants (they'll eat babies). Goannas (large lizards) have been known to raid chicken coops, I'd imagine they'd gobble up other bird species if they can get at them.

Someone mentioned possums in attics- very few houses in Oz have attics, mostly it's just a roofspace, too low for much storage although hot water system tanks are sometimes put up there.

 

[cateyes221981]

the goannas and possems and native as are the snakes


They are just invidivual human problems that just people don't like they are not a problem to native wildlife


The native wildlife evolved to deal with all the deadly aussie snakes and giant lizards


No problem with them

Yes the red fox, the stoat especially, the feral cat, the dingo(god knows why on earth this animal is considered a non pest????) have caused hell on native wildlife.


The decline of the tassie tiger lead to the demise of many species because the tasie tiger kept all meso predators in check.

The wedge tail eagle is the top predator as are the corcs and sometimes the tasi devils. but they can do so much.


Dingos should never have been allowed to exist there. They are way worse than cats, they kill anything and everything and are very formitable. THey are just domestic feral dogs. They kill the kowala bear, they kill the platabus, they kill any land creature pretty much up to the giant red kangaroo in packs. THey have no predator other than the croc and wedge tailed eagles. Even then they still almost never get killed. The dogs should go first then worry about the small pests like foxes and cats.


The possem is a native I would not be concerned with them. If we lose our birds or pets to native predators it really is our fault. Recently for the third time my cat was attacked by a coyote that tried to drag her from under a car and tore her ligament for the 3rd time. We had no idea what was doing this to our cat. We thought she fell from the tree, The vet said shes sick with cancer and will have to be put down, blood tests shows an animal had attacked her when we found the makrs?? the third time we saw for ourselves it was the same coyote that had ran off with a jack russel.

The cat had a hiding spot under a chip wagon which made it impossible to pull out without the coyote getting its eyes and face clawed up. This is the only reason my cat survived the first time. Last time they dragged the cat out but a larger stronger dog came running and smashed into the coyotes and just clobbered them. This was a wildcat rescue that I tamed maybe 7 years ago? Its at another house of mine now WHen i just moved and fully recovered.

I don't blame the coyote, its just a man made issue the cutting down of woods and construction made them kill all the meso predators including cats in the area.

 

[Abigal7]

In their native habitats these snakes have predators and are even eaten when they are babies. That is not the case when they are in Florida which was never designed for them. They have no predators in Florida. Alligators have gotten to attacking them. But these snakes have no problem challenging the gator and if big enough will kill them. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8L62rInB5U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8L62rInB5U[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVRhRzE_AkQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVRhRzE_AkQ[/ame]

 

[MikeyTN]

Yes I do remember that first footage when they discovered it, it finally caught some major attention and afterwards is when they really start to do something about it when they should of done long ago.