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Plant City employees help round up exotic pets

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By DAVE NICHOLSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 14, 2009

PLANT CITY - Some municipal employees who typically deal with water conservation or other local issues spent Nov. 7 helping take in unwanted exotic animals.

The city joined with Busch Gardens and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on a non-native pet amnesty day. During this event at the theme park, exotic animals could be surrendered in any condition with no questions asked.

About 113 animals were turned in, from a Burmese ball python to an albino skunk. All found new homes, including an ailing exotic lizard that was taken in by the local Hillsborough Community College campus veterinarian tech program.

This was the first time Plant City participated in a pet amnesty day, said Shawna Everidge, environmental education coordinator for the city Water Resource Management Division.

"It was really cool for us to be there," she said.

The owners surrendered their animals for a variety of reasons, including the cost of feeding them.

"A lot of people had a lot of guilt," for turning in their pets, she said.

Mark Woodward, Danielle Piper and Everidge helped coordinate the event through the Water Resource Management Division in an effort to reduce unwanted exotic pets being turned loose, where they might go on to damage the local ecology.

Plant City volunteers included Sharon Spires, who worked at a table where children could paint a wooden snake for free; city employee Eddie Lancaster and his wife, who helped promote the Tampa Bay Estuary Program; city employee Chris Lemon; and Jack Everidge, Keith Gleason and his daughter, Grace, who assisted owners in surrendering their animals.

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