The 2012 National Reptile and Amphibian Law Symposium, held in Houston last week, garnered media attention, a frank exchange of views from diverse stakeholders who rarely have that opportunity, and commitments from many participants to be back next year.

The 2013 Symposium will be held in the Washington, DC, area, and current co-hosts NRAAC, PIJAC, and the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV) will continue that role next year. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which sent six panelists to Houston, has also agreed to participate next year, as did the CDC, FDA, and Florida Wildlife Commission.

With around 120 participants, the event was able to facilitate in-depth discussions with panelists on a variety of important topics, including invasive and injurious species, the Lacey Act, CITES and ESA rules, and salmonella and the four-inch turtle law.

With a reporter from the Houston Chronicle in the audience on Friday, the panels touched on some sensitive topics:

Citing the case of Burmese pythons, which this year joined 233 other animals on the injurious wildlife list, Susan Jewell, listing coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, told the group that Everglades park staff collected 367 of the giant snakes in 2009. After a killing cold spell in 2010, 322 were collected.

Jewell argued that, while the reptiles have difficulty surviving cold weather, they likely could acclimate, with survivors spawning offspring more resistant to chill. As a result, she said, the pet snakes-gone-wild ultimately could spread from their South Florida home base.

Elliott Jacobson, a University of Florida zoological medicine professor, scoffed at Jewell's assertions, saying Everglades personnel did not specify whether the snakes they collected after the cold snap were dead or alive.

The snakes are vulnerable to cold weather and so large, he said, that they would have a hard time finding a place to successfully hibernate.

Please stay tuned to the NRAAC website for audio, video, and transcripts, to be posted soon, and for information on the 2013 National Reptile and Amphibian Law Symposium.