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Encore: Invasive Species Threaten Native Wildlife and Pets

BRUNO HALPERN / WGCU

A recent study by scientists with the University of Florida and the U.S. Geological Survey found that Burmese pythons may be foraging on wading bird nesting rookeries in the Florida Everglades. The research is published in PLOS One. We're joined by the study’s lead author, Sophie Orzechowski, who performed this research as part of her recently completed master’s degree in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida.

Plus, cane toads are invasive species brought to the U.S. in an effort to protect sugar cane fields from pests. Now they present danger to pets and local wildlife. We'll talk with Dr. Steve A. Johnson, he is associate professor and undergraduate program coordinator at the University of Florida’s Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation to learn about the dangers of cane toads and ways to protect your pets.

Copyright 2019 WGCU

Julie Glenn is the host of Gulf Coast Live. She has been working in southwest Florida as a freelance writer since 2007, most recently as a regular columnist for the Naples Daily News. She began her broadcasting career in 1993 as a reporter/anchor/producer for a local CBS affiliate in Quincy, Illinois. After also working for the NBC affiliate, she decided to move to Parma, Italy where she earned her Master’s degree in communication from the University of Gastronomic Sciences. Her undergraduate degree in Mass Communication is from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.
Mike Kiniry is producer of Gulf Coast Live, and co-creator and host of the WGCU podcast Three Song Stories: Biography Through Music. He first joined the WGCU team in the summer of 2003 as an intern while studying Communication at Florida Gulf Coast University.