Editorial: Go after invasive reptiles, not native bears

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08-05-2025

We have a suggestion for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission when it meets later this month: Take all the documents, web pages and press releases commission staff have prepared for a potential bear hunt later this year, and do a search-and-replace command that swaps the phrase 'big invasive reptiles' for 'black bears.'
It's a move that should be universally popular. Judging from the reaction so far, Floridians are just as disgusted at the idea of another mass slaughter of bears as they were the last time the FWC called for a statewide massacre. They probably won't feel the same revulsion to the idea of tracking down and eliminating the giant iguanas, pythons and Nile monitor lizards that are ravaging native animal populations and unnerving homeowners across an ever-widening range of territory.
Is this speciesist? Maybe. But we don't see a need to get all 'woke' about it. After all, a statewide search-and-destroy mission might also do something to satiate state leaders' hunger to persecute immigrants. If it helps, we can Photoshop gang tattoos on their scaly hides.
But seriously: FWC should tell staff to shift their focus when the commission meets May 21-22 in Ocala, with a presentation on the bear hunt on the agenda (It's scheduled for a final vote in August). Unlike the shambling bears, which many consider to be endearing and occupy a critical role as one of Florida's apex predators, the state's assortment of scaly invaders represent a significant threat to the ecological balance of their adopted state. Pythons were the first invasive reptile to gain attention, with scientists increasingly alarmed by their size — the snakes can grow to 20 feet in length, breed prodigiously and have voracious appetites.
Then came the iguanas. Like pythons, they were known to be in the wild and breeding since the 1960s, but their population seems to have exploded in the last 10 years. They are herbivores, but they can ravage crops, presenting a serious threat to Florida's multi-billion-dollar produce industry. They are also hated for their ability to burrow under infrastructure such as seawalls, sidewalks and roads, causing considerable damage. One infestation nearly took out a critical dam in Palm Beach County last year.
And now the Nile monitors are slithering onto the scene. The nicest thing we can say about these monsters, which can grow to six feet in length, is that they seem to have a taste for iguanas — and that for now, their population is counted in just the thousands, not the millions.
The FWC will consider a new rule this month that allows Floridians to catch and sell iguanas out of state (which only seems to perpetuate the problem) and already sponsors a python hunt, with cash prizes ranging up to $10,000 for the person who catches the most. And it's legal to kill any of these invasive species as long as it's done humanely. But state leaders should do more to promote their eradication. One option: A photo op with state leaders chowing down on various reptiles, perhaps using some of the recipes the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently shared.
Wouldn't it be more satisfying for hunters to go after species that actually present a problem? State officials should do everything in their power to encourage that mindset. And that's why they should be urging people to hunt reptiles, not bears.
We understand why many Floridians might worry about bears. This week, in Southwest Florida, state officials recorded what they believe is the state's first ever human death from a bear encounter. It's likely we'll see more interaction between humans and bears as the bears lose habitat. However, there are simple steps that will keep the bears from encroaching on subdivisions and presenting a danger to humans. And in contrast to the damage invasive species wreak on Florida's ecosystem, danger from bears is minimal.
Beyond that, the FWC should identify — and consider banning — any additional fish or reptile species that is currently sold in the state if it has the capacity to become a problem in the wild. (Pythons and iguanas are already banned.) Because these predators didn't get here by swimming across the Gulf of Mexico. They were brought here as pets, and then released by irresponsible owners.
That spells out the final and perhaps most consequential difference between slaughtering bears and going after exotic speciet. The bears were here first. The reptiles arrived due to human intervention and carelessness. That's why humans should be encouraged to help eradicate them.
The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Executive Editor Roger Simmons and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. Contact us at [e-mail]