The long-awaited results of the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) study are finally in, and none of the animals in the study survived the winter. While that is not much of surprise to someone who has kept Burmese pythons, the real question remains. Will the results of this independent scientific study finally end the debate that has taken so much time, energy, money and jobs from our community and industry?

Not likely.

This has never been about science. It's been about the money and it's been about the media and it's been about getting re-elected -- but mostly it's been about the money. Pythons and our community just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Regardless of the fact that the SREL study was an unbiased scientific study by an unbiased organization, since its conclusions have come down on "our" side of the fence it's now "our science." We can expect the opposition to either ignore it completely or find ways to discredit either it or the people involved. Millions of dollars in federal funding for the removal and remediation of these species, needed or not, are on the line, and you can expect that the individuals and organizations set to get a piece will all line up to take shots at the study.

To read the abstract of the SREL python study click here.