TAMPA, FL -- Animal owners had an opportunity to hand in exotic non native animals without having to answer any questions.
People brought in snakes, parrots, turtles and lizards. One man even turned up with three alligators.
Steve Anderson turned in three big pythons that he's raised for 13 years. He got one last minute with them before he left them in the hands of Florida Fish and Wildlife workers.
With tears in his eyes he said he could not afford to buy the permits that cost him three hundred dollars each year.
"I have been unemployed," Anderson said, "What am I going to do I can't afford it."
More than one hundred animals were turned in at the pet amnesty event held Saturday at Busch Gardens. Damon Wilde left his iguana behind.
"We have a small child, salmonella is an issue." Wilde added.
"I am afraid one day it will bite or attack her."
The idea was for people to bring their non native animals in instead of releasing them into the wild. Pythons in the everglades could pose serious problems.
"If those animals become established or invasive, they could cause damage to native species competing for food and space." said wildlife biologist Jenny Tinnell.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officials were shocked when Justin Franklin showed up from Fort Myers with three American alligators. It is illegal to have Alligators as pets.
"I want them to get big and have a healthy life," Franklin said.
