The adoption or purchase of an animal or pet should be a life commitment. These animals should not end up in shelters, sewers or the streets. The same is true for plants. Exotic pets can be especially detrimental.

Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) are native to Southeast Asia and grow just shy of 30 feet in length. The snake is considered an invasive species of south Florida. It became established via the pet trade. It is presumed that owners could not longer care for their ever-growing curiosities so snake owners recklessly and maybe even maliciously released them into the Floridian wild. Global warming could allow the snake to spread further north.

Lionfish (Pterois volitans) are a venomous species native to the Pacific Ocean but are now also found off the Atlantic Coast in states like Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. Again, the species probably became established by pet owners dumping the fish into the sea. Platys, an exotic freshwater fish species is thought to have become established in Australian waters from people flushing them down the toilet. This behavior is affectionately referred to as the Finding Nemo syndrome. From The Sydney Morning Herald:

Despite years of education, scientists said reckless owners probably flushed the fish down the toilet or released it in water systems, known as “Finding Nemo syndrome”.

The Department of Primary Industries found six of the fish in a drain connected to Newcastle’s main water supply, Grahamstown Dam. The department’s acting manager of aquatic biosecurity, Bill Bardsley, said that if the fish had spread to the dam it might be too late to control its numbers.

“This does highlight the need for ongoing public education, which we already do a considerable amount of,” he said.

“If you have a fish and you want to get rid of it, the right thing to do is to dispose of it humanely or give it to a fish shop or pass it on to a friend because you never know the damage they could do if released.”

Image Found Here