WILD PIG MANAGEMENT - Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Your pet doesn’t belong in the wild! - University of Florida · • Florida has the largest wild...
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Your pet doesn’t belong in the wild! Maia McGuire Florida Sea Grant
Transcript of Your pet doesn’t belong in the wild! - University of Florida · • Florida has the largest wild...
Your pet doesn’t belong in the wild!
Maia McGuireFlorida Sea Grant
Native, non-native & invasive• Native species: A plant or animal that was in
North America when Columbus landed here.• Plants and animals that got here after
Columbus are called non-native or introduced species.
• Invasive species: A non-native animal or plant that becomes a problem because it harms native plants or animals, human health, the economy, or the environment.
• Not all non-native species are invasive.
How do invasive species cause harm?
• They compete with native species for food, space, water etc.
• They cause disease• They damage crops• They eat or overgrow native species• They change the habitat/environment
How do non-native species get here?
• “Hitch-hiking” on airplanes, trains, other vehicles, boats etc.
• Accidental escape of pets or animals/plants that are being farmed
• Deliberate release of animals or plants• Ballast water
Most pets are not native to Florida
• Even native animals sold in Florida pet stores should not be released as they may not know how to survive in the wild
• It is illegal to release non-natives into the wild
Red lionfish (Pterois volitans)
• Reported from Bahamas to New England (including Bermuda)
• Likely pathway of introduction: aquarium release
• Reproducing in the Atlantic• Venomous spines
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Lionfish eat large quantities of small native reef fish. They have no major predators in the Atlantic (groupers may eat some lionfish, but grouper populations are low).
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Lionfish distribution maps for July 2008 and March 2009. Note the increase in sightings in Puerto Rico, Jamaica and Central America in just 8 months.
Other Pacific reef fish
• Between 1993 and 2002, 16 non-native fish species were documented in the Western Atlantic (including lionfish).
• 10 of these species were spotted at more than one reef location
• All species seen are imported as part of the marine aquarium trade
Non-native freshwater fish species in Florida
• Map from USGS (1999 data)
Blue tilapia (Oreochromis aureus)
• Native to Africa, Middle East• Escaped from ponds• Common in central and south Florida• Competes with native animals for
spawning areas, food, habitat
Cuban tree frog (Osteopilus septentrionalis)
• Largest tree frogs in N. America• Eat lizards, snakes, mice, birds, frogs
www.allaboutfrogs.org
Apple snails (Pomacea spp.)• Eestablished in the Everglades• Reported in GA in 2005 (possibly
introduced by fishing boat which had visited Florida lakes)
FDEP
www.jaxshells.org
2005
2000
2008
1978
2008
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Apple snails are used in aquaria to control plant/algae growth. In ponds, they can eat all of the vegetation in the pond. This creates an unsuitable habitat for most fish and other aquatic animals. Introduced apple snails may prey on native apple snails, reducing their population. Native apple snails are an important food source for the snail kite, which does not eat the non-native apple snails as they are too large. Native apple snails have larger, white eggs; non-natives have small, slimy bright pink eggs.
Monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus)
• Native to temperate South America• Released cage bird• Florida has the largest wild population in
the US (50-150,000 birds)• Potential agricultural pest• May damage power lines• May compete for habitat
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Monk parakeets are colonial nesters and often build huge nest complexes on power lines, causing short-circuits and electrical fires.
Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata)
• Can be aggressive• Droppings result in water pollution (adults
produce about 1/3 lb of manure/day)www.birds.cornell.edu
Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus)
• Grow 6 feet in their first year; average adults are 18-20 feet long
• Hundreds of released/escaped Burmese pythons are breeding in the Florida Everglades
www.nps.gov
Nile monitor lizard (Varanus niloticus)
• Grow to be 6 feet long• Eat eggs, fish, frogs, small mammals• Can swim• Breeding in SW Florida, near the largest
colony of burrowing owls in the state
nas.er.usgs.gov
Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)
• Competes with native turtles (breeds with one species)
• Prey on fish• July 1, 2007—prohibited to sell or
distribute in FL
Wild boar (Sus scrofa)
• Introduced for hunters 400 years ago
• Cause agricultural damage; destroy habitat
• Transmit disease to livestock and humans
What can you do?
Before you buy…
• Research the species– How big can it get?– What does it eat?– How long does it live?– What are its environmental requirements?– Can I take proper care of it?
If you have a pet you can no
longer take care of…
• DO NOT RELEASE IT!!!
• Consider alternatives…
Releasing a pet is unfair to it and unfair to the environment
• Pets may not be able to survive in the wild– They may starve– They may be attacked by other animals
• Pets that do survive may harm wildlife– By attacking them– By competing with them for food or other
resources
Do the right thing!
• Don’t release your pet into the wild!
