Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Burmese python and three other species of snakes are “injurious” under the federal Lacey Act.  This action makes it illegal to import or sell these species across state lines.  Audubon has been urging this action for almost five years as part of a larger control and eradication strategy to reduce the harmful impact of these species.

In the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Burmese pythons are already well established, and pose a significant threat to native, imperiled species. Monitoring has shown that state and federally threatened and endangered species, including the Wood Stork andKey Largowoodrat, are already being predated by these large constrictors. Because these predatory snakes are cryptic, highly productive and can take advantage of difficult-to-access aquatic habitats, eradication is very difficult.

Audubon commends this pro-active action by DOI and the support of Senator Nelson, Congressman Rooney and other members of Florida’s Congressional delegation who were proponents for this listing.

To read more about invasive species, please click here.