Vet Calls FWC Slaughter Of 35 Pet Snakes 'Cruel,' 'Unconscionable'

FLORIDA — An Orlando veterinarian who specializes in the care of reptiles is condemning the Florida Wildlife and Conservation Department after its officers mistakenly slaughtered a man's pet boa constrictor, along with 34 captive pythons, in what animal activists are calling the "Holy Thursday Massacre."

"There was no urgency in this case," said Dr. Ivan Alfonso. "If actually necessary, this should have been conducted by a licensed veterinarian or properly trained veterinary health professional."

In a statement posted on the FWC website Thursday, conservation commission officials say they're investigating the slaughter of the snakes at the reptile-breeding facility owned by Bill McAdam in Sunrise in Broward County.

"This mistake is being taken seriously, and we are examining our procedures to ensure similar events like this don’t happen again," said the FWC in its statement.

McAdam and another snake breeder said they didn't ask the FWC to destroy the snakes, while a statement from the agency says its officers were given permission to euthanize some of the snakes with a bolt gun, but mistakenly killed McAdam's pet boa constrictor, Big Shirl. Florida law allows boas to be kept as pets.

You can see videos of the snakes being killed on YouTube.

The slaughter of the snakes stems from a rule approved by FWC commissioners on Feb. 25, 2021, that placed 16 high-risk nonnative reptiles on Florida's list of prohibited species. While these nonnative reptiles — including the reticulated python, the boa constrictor, the green iguana and the tegu — can be used for education and research, only the green iguana and tegu are permitted to be sold commercially and kept as pets.

The new restrictions are due to the large number of reptiles that have been released into the environment, either intentionally or through carelessness. The growing nonnative population is playing havoc on Florida's ecosystem, eating the eggs of endangered birds and tortoises and consuming the prey that native species like the bobcat and Florida panther depend upon.

Following passage of the new rule on nonnative species, the United States Association of Reptile Keepers, Florida, fought to have the licenses of existing breeders grandfathered in, arguing their reptiles are kept in contained indoor cages as required by state law so they can't escape and are regularly inspected by the FWC so they pose no threat to native wildlife.

However, the FWC refused to yield and those in possession of prohibited reptiles for commercial sales were given until July 28, 2021, to "liquidate their inventory."

McAdam said he began breeding about 10 years ago due to a lifelong fascination with the creatures and the desire to build a business that would sustain him during his retirement. He keeps his reptiles in an enclosed concrete warehouse and also rents space to fellow snake breeder Chris Coffee.

While McAdam is able to keep his reptiles under his Class III wildlife license — which allows him to exhibit, sell, import and own prohibited reptiles as personal pets — Coffee has no such license. FWC officers told Coffee his snakes, mostly reticulated pythons worth about $100,000, would have to go.

"The FWC called and left a message for Chris telling him that a snake had gotten loose in Hollywood and they had to put it down," McAdam told Patch.

McAdam said the loose snake in Hollywood didn't come from his facility.

"My regular inspectors will tell you, we were doing everything by the book and we never had an escape," McAdam said. "But they wanted to come by and see if the snake was ours and they told him (Coffee) they would either confiscate his snakes or euthanize them. I told him to be sure to videotape everything they did."

McAdam, who also owns a cleaning supply business, was at work on April 8 when FWC officers met Coffee at his breeding facility.

"I get this call from Chris and he's crying," said McAdam. "He said, 'They killed your boa, Big Shirl.'"

Big Shirl was an especially valuable species of boa known as a red dragon and blood albino. McAdam had raised her from a baby and had owned her for 11 years.

"She was one of the sweetest animals you've ever seen," said McAdam. Red dragon boas give birth live rather than laying eggs, and McAdam said Big Shirl was just weeks away from having a litter.

According to Coffee, the FWC officers tore through the breeding facility, pulling 29 reticulated pythons and five Burmese pythons owned by Coffee out of cages and killing them with nail guns. In the process, they grabbed Big Shirl and killed her, as well.

"I come running over like a lunatic and bawled them out, using every curse word in my vocabulary," McAdam said. "I was devastated."

McAdam said Big Shirl was already dead when he arrived but Coffee's video shows her writhing on the floor for more than 20 minutes after the FWC officers administered a single bolt charge to her head.

"In the video of the incident recorded by Coffee, officers can be seen yanking snakes out of cages, administering a bolt charge to the head, and then leaving the snakes writhing on the floor or throwing them into trash cans," said Daniel Parker, spokesman for the United States Association of Reptile Keepers, Florida, who said the organization stands behind McAdam. "FWC’s own website describes a two-step euthanasia process for wild pythons. This process involves applying the bolt charge to the head, followed by the complete destruction of the brain by pithing. The officers in this case followed only one of two of those steps."

"I'm beyond angry," he said. "These are supposed to be trained officers and they don't know the different between a reticulated python and a boa? I'm a frickin' citizen who pays his taxes and wants to do the right thing for the animals. These guys don't care about the animals at all. They're a bunch of bullies. I want them fired and I'm planning to sue them."

"Regardless of how you may feel about the types of animals involved, none of the Holy Thursday Massacre was necessary and there was no urgency surrounding this event," Parker said. "Big Shirl was a beloved pet boa constrictor, a species of snake that is docile under human care and commonly kept as pets."

A necropsy performed by veterinarian Dr. Dale Porcher found the cause of death to be the penetrating wound caused by the bolt gun charge, which passed entirely through the snake’s head and exited through the lower jaw.

Porcher confirmed that the boa appeared very healthy and her 32 babies were developing normally.

"USARK FL maintains that none of the pythons in this case should have been killed because they were legally owned prior to the administrative rule change. As a matter of law, they should have been grandfathered without condition," Parker said. "USARK FL is currently in a lawsuit with FWC challenging the validity and constitutionality of these rules and has asked the FWC to stop seizing and euthanizing captive animals until this legal challenge is resolved. Contrary to some media reports, the reticulated python is not an invasive species in Florida."

Of particular concern to veterinarian Alfonso is the way the FWC officers killed the snakes.

“Euthanasia guidelines provided by the American Veterinary Medical Association clearly distinguish between ‘in the field’ euthanasia methods versus pet euthanasia methods. These snakes were not wild. Even if they had been wild, using just the bolt gun was only one step in the euthanasia method," he said. "Being pets, these animals should have been afforded the pet euthanasia method which involves chemical immobilization or sedation and then chemical euthanasia.

Alfonso said the bolt gun method was cruel and the actions of the FWC officers unconscionable.

“There is no excuse for using the bolt gun method on pet snakes or pets of any species. The AVMA lists bolt guns and pithing as a secondary method when nothing else is safe or possible on captive reptiles. This was not the case here," he said, referring to the AVMA Euthanasia Guidelines.

After an unpermitted escaped reticulated python was found near the facility on April 5, officers went to the site to determine if it was the source of the escaped python or if all the facility’s animals were accounted for, since those snakes are on the FWC’s prohibited species list.

"Officers did not initiate contact with the facility owner with any intention of engaging in the euthanasia of animals," the FWC in a statement.

"Preliminary information also indicates that the facility owner requested that the FWC officers euthanize all of his unpermitted pythons," the FWC said. "The owner formally relinquished the pythons and requested that the FWC officers conduct the euthanasia activities on-site at his facility."

McAdam adamantly denies that he made any such request. He said he didn't even know the FWC was coming to his facility until Coffee informed him.

"While complying with the facility owner’s request to euthanize the relinquished pythons, officers inadvertently euthanized a boa constrictor which was not on the list of dozens of snakes relinquished," said the FWC. "The FWC will examine if there are appropriate methods to avoid similar inadvertent events from occurring in the future. The FWC Division of Law Enforcement is determining the full details of this incident and more information will be released as soon as it is verified and appropriate."

In the meantime, FWC commissioners are scheduled to meet in Miami May 10 and 11 to consider taking even more restrictive action against nonnative animals, and McAdam said he plans to be there.

To date, none of the officers involved in the incident have been fired or resigned.