Englewood, FL wildlife news

Reptiles cause scaly trouble

By DOUG SWORD

Published: Monday, February 23, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, February 23, 2009 at 6:28 a.m. http://www.heraldtribune.com

There are lizards on Siesta Key -- and we're not talking about bling-laden 50-somethings lounging around the island's nightspots.

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What scientists refer to as a reproducing colony of black spiny-tailed iguanas has established itself along Midnight Pass Road south of Siesta Key Beach. Previously, these colonies had only been found in Venice, Englewood and Manasota Key.

The invasion of reptiles -- not just iguanas, but also the more muscular and often nastier monitor lizards and even pythons -- is extending northward based on reported sightings and may be on the verge of a major population explosion, said Meg Lowman, director of environmental initiatives at New College of Florida.

Iguanas are now being reported along the coast as far north as St. Armands Key.

At first, iguanas are pleasing to tourists, who come to Florida partly for the wildlife and enjoy having their pictures taken with these cold-blooded sunbathers, Lowman said. But rapacious iguanas kill or force out native species ranging from gopher tortoises to ground birds, as they did on Gasparilla Island several years ago, and become a tourism negative.

Efforts at population control are ramping up here as they have in Charlotte and Lee counties in recent years. Since late last year, the county's trapper reports killing 150 to 200 iguanas in South County parks.

Widespread reports of iguanas up and down the coast have county officials worried because if the populations are not controlled now, the reptiles could turn into a big expense later. All they have to do is look to the south to see the cost: Charlotte and Lee counties have spent a combined $230,000 for iguana removal since 2007.

Meanwhile, monitor lizards, previously seen only in Englewood, have been spotted in The Landings and along the Interstate 75 corridor, particularly around the Celery Fields just south of Fruitville Road.

You don't have to tell Hera Konstantinou, a Landings resident, about how aggressive monitor lizards can be. A 4-foot-long one was caught in her yard last summer and another one has been reported down the street. The captured monitor nearly broke through the corner of a fenced kennel he was temporarily placed in.

"He was very husky. This guy could easily have taken apart one of my retrievers," Konstantinou said. Monitor lizards can grow to 50 pounds.

There seem to have been an unusual number of "Missing Cat" signs posted in her neighborhood recently, a suspicious Konstantinou confided.

"I got a feeling a couple of these missing cats may have become a snack."

She may be right, since experts say that monitor lizards have been known to eat the occasional cat.

The iguana killer

While county officials are worried about a Gasparilla redux involving iguanas virtually wiping out bird and gopher tortoise populations, trapper George Cera fears the spread of monitor lizards, particularly the alligator-like Nile monitor.

"The Niles are horrible to think about being here," Cera said, noting how quickly the lizard can replace native species. Their taste for gopher tortoises is particularly worrisome, since the health of many other native species relies on the burrowing tortoises, says Cera, credited with killing about 15,000 iguanas on Gasparilla.

Plus, the Nile is a triple threat to capture. "I lost the tip of one of my fingers to a Nile monitor," Cera remembers. "You are dealing with tails, teeth and claws."

Generally speaking, it is unusual for one of these reptiles -- native to Central America, South America, and Africa -- to attack a person, Cera said. However, like alligators, if people feed them, the animals lose their fear of humans and an attack is much more likely.

An early effort to start compiling all the sightings by the public, county employees and New College personnel puts pythons in Oscar Scherer State Park, and iguanas in Myakka State Forest, Nokomis Beach, South Lido Park and the Celery Fields at I-75 and Fruitville Road. Monitor lizards may have established a breeding ground in the Celery Fields, a popular bird-watching area.

In cold blood

Options for controlling the reptile population proposed by New College include monitoring, rapid response, public education, study and a separate research program on pythons, which are seen as an escalating problem. All of these approaches, though, lead to devising ways to more efficiently locate and kill the animals, although county officials avoid using that word.

"When it's over, the animals are no more," said Amy Meese, the county's natural resources general manager, slowly and carefully picking each of the last five words.

The county has met with local animal rights activists and is sensitive to concerns that the reptiles be eliminated humanely, Meese said.

In contrast, New College's Lowman shows no hesitancy to display her opinion on what should be done with these cold-blooded animals.

"Stop studying them and start killing them!" was the quote Lowman used from a fellow academic in a column she wrote last year.

It's a simple choice to Lowman: Either get rid of these invasive reptiles or be prepared to witness the disappearance of an of an array of native species.

While squeamish about all the killing, animal rights groups appreciate that choice and are not criticizing local governments so long as the reptiles are killed humanely.

"It's just such a frustrating situation for everyone involved," said Tori Perry, senior cruelty case worker for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA.

The shame of the situation is that these animals did not choose to come to a place they are not wanted, she said. Most were released by pet owners who purchased them on impulse.

With no natural predators, the reptiles can take over Florida's ecosystems because they are "the biggest, baddest thing out there" and they've come to an area rich with food, she said.

"Getting loose in Sarasota County was kind of like candy for these guys," Perry said.