The killing of a 2-year-old Sumter County girl by a Burmese python should erase any doubt about the wisdom of U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson's proposal to ban the importation of the giant snake.
The Burmese python has established a breeding population in the Everglades, and officials say there may be as many as 150,000 slithering around South Florida - the result, apparently, of some python owners releasing snakes that become too big to handle.
There is no reason to allow continued trade of a snake that has proved itself a menace to natural Florida and, as the horrible Sumter case underscores, a threat to humans.
The nine-foot snake left in a bag inside an aquarium last Tuesday night, slithered free, sought out and suffocated the toddler in the child's bed.
This is the first documented python attack in Florida. But such attacks by snakes around the nation are hardly unknown. And now, with so many snakes in the wild, it's not just the snake owners who have to worry.
A snake more than 16 feet long has been found in Florida's woods. Another large snake died trying to eat an alligator. Responsible reptile enthusiasts, to be sure, don't release snakes, and they make sure the snakes are properly fed and caged to eliminate the chance of attack.
But it's abundantly clear that under the current system far too many people buy the large constrictors without proper training, knowledge or commitment to its long-term care.
Nelson is right. Florida shouldn't allow the trade of these dangerous exotics. The import of Burmese pythons should be banned.
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