As he carried the glass tank out of his car, Kendall resident Carlos Zapata recalled his history breeding cobras.
"I got the first two King Cobras when I was in college. I thought they were so cool. I didn't realize they would breed so quickly, and before I knew it, I was giving them away to anyone I thought could handle them," Mr. Zapata said. "But now, I have a couple dozen of them, and my wife said it was either her or the snakes, so they have to go."
As he prepared to release the worlds largest venomous snakes on the eastern edge of the Everglades, Mr. Zapata amended his statement.
"Actually, my wife has been pretty cool with the animals overall. We still have the Mitred Parakeets, Veiled Chameleons, Green Iguanas, ferrets, heck we still have a Ball Python and Corn Snakes," he said. "She just doesn't want venomous snakes in the house now that we have a baby on the way. Please don't print anything that could possibly be deemed as a criticism of my wife."
As he used a 3-foot cane to lift the King Cobras from their tanks, he pondered the effects that one more species could possibly have on his surroundings.
"We already have dozens of exotic reptiles in Miami. Burmese Pythons and Nile Crocodiles in the Everglades. Iguanas, Tegus, and Monitor Lizards on the canal banks, Knight Anoles in the trees. What more could one species do?"