FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Rodents. Venomous snakes. Green iguanas.
Hundreds of nonnative species enter the U.S. each year as unusual pets. But several of these nonnative species kill native wildlife.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Tuesday that the federal government allows imports of a variety of wildlife, conducting few screenings for disease and permitting most shipments to enter without inspection. A report on wildlife imports by the General Accountability Office this month found “gaps that could allow the introduction of diseases into the United States.”
Several states are considering limits on ownership of some species. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission plans next year to consider ways to control several species, such as tegu lizards, monitors and black spiny-tailed iguanas.