LOCAL

Naples Zoo hosts amnesty event for exotic pet owners

Georgette French
Naples Daily News
Erin Myers handles a snake during the FWC’s Exotic Pet Amnesty Day at the Naples Zoo, in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 5, 2016. Staff from different agencies were on hand in the parking lot of the Naples Zoo as people could bring in exotic animals or adopt them.

Volunteers at Exotic Pet Amnesty Day at the Naples Zoo saw it all Saturday, from 7-foot boa constrictors to a spiny-tailed lizard.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission took in more 20 non-native animals — turtles, snakes, even exotic opossums — from pet owners wanting to find a new home for exotic animals they otherwise could face penalties for keeping without proper registrations.

The Conservation Commission has collected more than 2,500 non-native animals at amnesty events held all over the state since 2006, giving owners an alternative to releasing unwanted pets into the wild. Concerns about the effect of non-native species, most notably Burmese pythons in the Everglades, has grown as evidence has mounted that they can devastate populations of native animals and upset ecosystems.

Michael Vigil, 19, turned in a Mali uromastyx lizard that he’s had for about four years.

Ken Hobbs chats with staff as he puts up a snake for adoption during the FWC’s Exotic Pet Amnesty Day at the Naples Zoo, in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 5, 2016. Staff from different agencies were on hand in the parking lot of the Naples Zoo as people could bring in exotic animals or adopt them.

"I tried to sneak it into my dorm (at Florida International University), but the resident assistant told me that if I did it again, I would get kicked out,” Vigil said.

At Saturday's event, the Conservation Commission registered pets like Vigil’s lizard, and veterinarians examined them. If they were deemed healthy, the animals were put in a cool trailer while they waited for pre-approved adopters like zoos, nonprofits or animal lovers with special permits to take them.

Erin Myers, 45, a biologist with Southwest Florida Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area, used her pet snakes — a coral snake and a large boa constrictor named Mogwa — to explain the differences between invasive and non-invasive species and how each  the environment.

The Southwest Florida CISMA, a partnership of government agencies and environmental groups, has been working since 2008 to control nonnative species on public and private lands.

Dr. John Lanier of the Golden Gate Animal Clinic checks out a box turtle put up for adoption during the FWC’s Exotic Pet Amnesty Day at the Naples Zoo, in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 5, 2016. Staff from different agencies were on hand in the parking lot of the Naples Zoo as people could bring in exotic animals or adopt them.

“With invasive species, they don’t belong in that native environment, so the impact they cause changes the whole circle of life. With the big snakes, they can eat five to six times more than our native snakes, and they are top predators,” Myers said.

Adding a top predator to an ecosystem can have a big impact on other top predators like Florida panthers, black bears and alligators, she said.

“They can wipe out entire populations of small animals, which makes that invasive aspect significant,” Myers said.

Amnesty days are only one way to get rid of unwanted non-native pets without penalty, including calling the Conservation Commission hotline at 1-888-IVEGOT1 (483-4681) or by emailing PetAmnesty@MyFWC.com.