The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recently adopted new rules that allow state and county animal-control agencies to accept unlicensed or unpermitted nonnative animals. In short, don’t dump your exotic pet reptiles or fish into the wild; owners can surrender foreign animals to agencies without penalty.

“Release of exotic animals by pet owners remains a significant pathway for the introduction of nonnative species,” said the FWC’s Scott Hardin. “As a result, the FWC initiated a series of pet amnesty events to provide an option for owners of exotic pets to surrender their unwanted pets to responsible agencies or individuals instead of illegally releasing them.”

Thirty-four exotic freshwater fishes, including the snakehead, peacock bass, and clown knifefish, currently reproduce in Florida freshwaters. Only the peacock bass was introduced legally; most resulted from individuals releasing unwanted aquariums pets or escapees from aquaculture ponds.

Pet reptiles look cute in a terrarium when they’re young—plenty of kids can attest to that—but some of those species grow to man-size proportions. Negative ecological effects can occur from even the most innocent release of a nonnative species into the wild. Examples include Burmese pythons in the Everglades and the African monitor lizards in Cape Coral canals in South Florida.

The FWC sponsored three amnesty day events. The next Pet Amnesty Day is at the Jacksonville Zoo, Nov. 22. Another event is expected in Miami in early 2009.