just for your reading enjoyment??

**Boozer** · 09-08-2010, 09:36 AM

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...,2889442.story

**Nessie** · 09-08-2010, 11:45 AM

Yes, everyone is in danger and had better lock their windows and doors as their children may go missing!
Kill it! What kind of wildlife group just goes ahead and does that? It is very sad.
Shame on that owner that just dumped his Tegu out in the forest. Just another way to group us all together and scorn us for our poor choice in pets.

**Ben3233** · 09-08-2010, 03:03 PM

Well on that point, I think it would be a good thing to kill this animal if it can have an impact ecologically. Not to forget, that tegus are attacking gopher which are an endangered species.

I saw a documentary about the galapagos Island. Where the marchand and tourisms living there where having a big impact on the galapagos tortoise. It wasn't the human that we're doing harm, but all the goats that they we're breeding that was eating too much grass so the tortoise couldn't even eat. It's pretty funny to see a soldier in a helicopter with a riffle weapon in his hand, shooting all the goats that aren't in the tourism zone.

However, this problem might finish with banning the Tegu because of stupid people that release them instead of euthanizing.

**Daenerys** · 09-08-2010, 04:50 PM

Sadly, I have to agree with euthanizing it as well. Its too expensive to always catch anything that is out there that shouldn't be. Look at feral cats. Thy're just as much a danger to wildlife as the tegu but if we were to try and catch them all and get them spayed/neutered or try and adopt them out or something it would cost wayyy too much money. And cats are a domesticated animal that many many people love and would not be happy with the euthanize option. But there is not unlimited money, so we have to do what is best in the long run. There are already too many invasive species in southern Florida.

And banning tegus is not the solution, just like banning all large species of snakes is not the solution.

**Tegugurl** · 09-08-2010, 08:06 PM

i disagree. its probley pretty tame.. ill catch it and take it home! or to a rescue place... dont kill it.. thats just ignorant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Daenerys** · 09-09-2010, 01:06 AM

Well yeah if its tame they could adopt it out....I was assuming its turned wild!

**laurarfl** · 09-09-2010, 03:43 AM

We discussed this earlier on another thread. Tegus are already establishing themselves in south Fl and parts of central Florida. They are more of a threat to the agriculture industry than to the ecology (think strawberries, lettuce, etc). As for the poor gophers, developers can purchase a "take permit" and simply bulldoze a certain number of tortoise burrows in a given area rather than relocate them. One city was blasted last year for spending $100K to relocate a colony of gophers to spare them from the developers' dozers. So I think it is rather ironic that the paper is concerned about them now. Rather, it is fuel for the fire against the keeping of exotics.

The Orlando Slantinel...uh I mean...Orlando Sentinel is the original publisher of that article. They are pretty notorious for printing anti-herp articles for the past few years. Our local herp society has some well-known herpers and they have contacted the paper to offer info. What gets printed instead is bunk. The paper even put out feelers for herpers who keep roaches. The article that went to print was a big slam against herpers and used a lot of scare tactics about the latest invasive roach species that was waiting to eat your home. I submitted my name and I'm soooo grateful that I wasn't contacted.

**txrepgirl** · 09-09-2010, 04:24 AM

. People like that make me SOOOOO mad. I can't believe they want to kill that poor Tegu :( . Laura is right. They don't care taking away homes and food away from the animals when they want to buil buildings. But when they see a animal they don't know much about ( in person ) they want to kill it. Why don't they try to catch it and bring it to a zoo or a rescue place.

**SergeMan7** · 09-09-2010, 05:29 AM

Fun Fact: Florida is God's second Chance state. It is where old poeple go to die, Convicts go to start over, Cubans go to get away, and Bush went to win that election.

Sorry to say, but the Tegu won't mess things up anymore than damage already done. With how many native species there are in Florida you would figure it wouldn't matter too much. Hey, more Python food! I feel back for the Tortoses. All in all though, I don't believe the Tegus will cause much more an impact than all the other crap floating around that state though, Nile Monitors (still widely avaliable and UBER cheap), the Pyhons (don't think that bill will pass any time soon, others things are larger issues), the native rat things, (lizard and snake food), and wild pigs (screw those).

But you know what, Florida will go on I know this. Becuase when people from Europe first came to settle this country they brought with them all sorts of animals and and infestations, then took some of them back to Europe. Know what, life went on, nature adapted and overcame. Yes it is sad that Florida is getting messed up, but fun fact: with climate change migration habits of animals change. The Tegu is Native to SOUTH AMERICA, there is no doubt in my mind that given another 100 years due to NATURAL climate change they could/can make thier way to Florida.

For "Proof" of this look to the migration habits of other animals currently, the Buffalo (Native to this land) are changing thier migration habits gradually. Also it is believe that Indians(feather) first arrived in the Americas during the Ice age, following animals who were migrating in search of food.

Moral of the story, stuff happens, it sucks, Mother Nature comes through eventually in the end, and Florida is already screwed up.