Pet dealer: U.S. misjudges reptile threat

BUSHNELL, Fla., April 18 (UPI) -- A Bushnell, Fla., exotic pet dealer says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is overreacting by barring him from obtaining some reptile species.

Rob Roy MacInnes, co-owner of Glades Herp Farm, said the government's fear of invasive species is preventing him from importing Fiji island iguanas, radiated tortoises from Madagascar and other reptiles, The Washington Post reported Friday.

MacInnes said he does not believe non-native reptiles that have been breeding in Florida areas, a phenomenon biologists have attributed in part to the exotic pet trade, should be considered "invasive species."

"They're 'introduced.' I think that 'invasive' is passing judgment," he said.

The reptile rancher even went as far as to praise the introduction of the Burmese python to the Florida Everglades.

"To me, it's a wonderful introduction. I think it's the best thing to happen to the Everglades in the last 200 years," he said.