J. May of Paradise Point provided me with the photo posted above, taken 11/22/15: a native rat snake seen slithering in a tree near a third floor bedroom window (no harm to the native environment).
This was not the first recorded incident. October 9 - 2015 - local residents were warned of another non-native snake being seen. The following was circulated the following day:
(referring to October 9) Last night, one of your neighbors found a snake in the middle of the street in the community. The snake is 5 - 6 feet in length and is either a Boa Constrictor or a Reticulated Python. Regardless, the snake has the potential to hurt small dogs and cats. PLEASE keep your pets on a leash at ALL TIMES and keep your cats indoors, if at all possible.If anyone sees the snake again, I have been advised by FWC to call the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Venom Unit immediately, who is supposed to be able to assist us with getting rid of it. The telephone # I was given is 786-331-4443.The telephone # for the FWC Regional Office is 561-625-5122. For more information, visit: http://myfwc.com/contact/nuisance-wildlife/Here is the photo of that snake:
Thank you,
Eugene Flinn, Mayor
Hello Mayor Flinn,
ReplyDeleteThank you for raising awareness about invasive reptiles in the South Florida area. But, I wanted to address an incorrect identification that was brought to my attention. The first two photos on this particular blog entry are of a native yellow rat snake. These are important native snakes that provide a lot of ecological services to the community. I just want to make sure that people who see this do not mistakenly take action against it, or other natives, believing such snakes are non-native. The best course of action is to take a picture of a questionable snake and report it to the Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue Venom Unit of FWC like you described and make sure the identification is correct.
Thank you,
Frank Ridgley DVM
Director of Conservation and Research
Zoo Miami