The snake of the species ball python (Python regius), considered an exotic animal, that is, it is not native to Brazil, it had been released into the conservation unit last fair (3), by mistake, by the firefighters. They thought it was the native boa constrictor (Boa constrictor).
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According to biologist Jorge Antonio Lourenço Pontes, researcher at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (Uerj), specialized in herpetofauna [reptiles and amphibians], the snake could not have been released into the forest without first being evaluated by a specialist.
The standard procedure, when an exotic or wild animal is found, is to send the animal to a Wild Animal Screening Center (Cetas), which, in Rio de Janeir, is in the municipality of Seropédica.
In these units, experts can correctly identify the species and assess its health conditions and where it should be sent.
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“The animal may be apparently healthy and carrying a very serious and highly contagious parasite or virus”, explains Pontes.
In addition to the health risk, there is also the risk of the exotic species becoming invasive, reproducing in the location. If the python found another snake of the same species in the forest, it could generate offspring and colonize the place.
Some female snake species are capable of parthenogenesis, that is, they are capable of cloning themselves, reproducing without the need for a partner.
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“We discovered that even our anacondas generate offspring through parthenogenesis. Several species of python have already demonstrated this ability,” he said.
Environmental concern
According to the expert, the breeding of exotic animals and their release into the wild therefore poses a problem for local biodiversity. In Florida, in the United States, pythons that escaped from captivity have become a huge problem for wildlife, threatening native fauna.
In Brazil, American water tiger turtles (Trachemys scripta) also became an invasive species due to the release of these animals into bodies of water in the country.
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The species, now banned here, began to threaten local species, such as the Brazilian water tiger (Trachemys dorbigni), with less aggressive behavior than the American one, even hybridizing with it.
“Fauna and flora remain balanced because they have an adaptive relationship. They already have their predators, their food, everything foreseen within this ecological system. When you introduce an exotic species you are introducing a different element into that balance, which can cause some disturbances”, explained the head of Parque da Tijuca, Viviane Lasmar.
(Source: Agência Brasil)
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