Sen. Nelson calls for Burmese python ban

WASHINGTON, July 8 (UPI) -- Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., lobbied Wednesday for a ban on importing Burmese pythons like the one that killed a Florida toddler.

In testimony before a Senate subcommittee, Nelson called for legislation that would ban the import of pythons for the pet trade, as well as interstate transportation of the giant snakes, WBBH-TV in Fort Myers, Fla., reported. Nelson spoke a week after a 2-year-old girl in central Florida was bitten and strangled by an 8-foot python that escaped from a terrarium.

"Tragedy struck, and it's not like we haven't been warning," he said before the hearing. "That Burmese python attached its fangs to the forehead of that child."

The Burmese python, while not venomous, is one of the largest species of snakes. They can grow to be more than 20 feet long.

The pythons can be dangerous pets, occasionally killing even adults if they are not handled properly. Thousands of pythons, believed to be descended from released pets are living in the Everglades and are believed to have spread to the Florida Keys.

The snakes are believed to threaten native wildlife. Nelson said there is also a chance a snake could attack an unwary tourist.