Tonight one of Atlanta's local TV stations hinted that the Burmese python, one of the world's largest snakes (known to have killed large animals and even people), is apparently not only breeding and doing well in the Florida Everglades but it might be able to survive mild Georgia winters.

Oh, no.

I am not prepared to try to save our three cats or my husband from a big-ass snake that can literally sqeeze the life out of me.

My husband, who used to be terrified of snakes, has somewhat conquered his fear during hikes and visits to the reptile "house" at Zoo Atlanta. I have never been afraid of snakes, although I have a keen respect for snakes and all other wild creatures that have the capacity to hurt, maime or kill me.

How did a non-native snake get such a toe hold in Florida? Certainly people who had them as pets have set them free when they grew too large for their owners to handle. Others have pointed out that hurricanes in Florida have inadvertently set dozens of snakes and other non-native species free.

Here's a photo of a Florida park official capturing a python within Everglades National Park:

Make no mistake about it. Burmese pythons have no natural enemies here with the possible exception of alligators. And humans. I'm sure Peta will be all over any efforts to rid Florida and even Georgia of this invasive species if such efforts involve deadly force, but it's perfectly okay with me if some of them go to snake heaven instead of living a life of leisure in a cage.

If this is beginning to sound a lot like the plot of a Carl Hiassen novel, you're thinking what I'm thinking.  Carl, buddy, can you stop writing teen novels long enough to write a new novel involving hurricanes, big-ass pythons, an ecology disaster from all that eating the snakes are surely doing, some stupid tourists and maybe some mobsters or drug dealers getting their just rewards? Oh! And be sure to include Skink, your recurring "former Florida governor gone native" character, in the novel just because he's my favorite.

And if Carl is too busy, well, James W. Hall, another favorite Florida author, could probably tackle this topic nicely. (After all, one of his bad guys once had some kind of giant crab claw "attached" to his hand for almost an entire novel.)

Or maybe Tim Dorsey, whose hysterically funny recurring serial killer character, Serge A. Storms, and his none-too-smart sidekick, might figure out a way to erradicate the Burmese python (or just feed it a bunch of victims). Serge always works up a good rage at anything that threatens his home state.

According to an article on Buzzle.com: "The Burmese Python is a popular—and legal—pet snake in the United States. In the last five years, there have been nearly 150,000 Burmese pythons imported into the US, and hatchlings can sell for as little as $20. But once the cute baby snakes turn into 15-foot-long beasts that eat more than their owners do, many people decide to just get rid of their pets by releasing them into the wild. The snakes are perfectly at home in the Everglades’ water, heat, and vegetation, and they have no predators."

Maybe I should get a gun carrying permit in anticipation of the invasion. I don't think my garden hoe is going to have anough chopping power or a long enough handle.