The city is preparing to dredge Machado Lake, a process likely to turn up a number number of non-native species, reports the Daily News. Given that the lake "is a dumping ground for everything you can imagine," according to a wildlife specialist quoted, the city is already seeing plenty of non-native species, particularly store-bought snakes. Of course, the most-famous outsider is Reggie the alligator, who lived in a pool before being dumped in the lake. And here's how they know that families are dumping those family pets: "During his work in the lake, [wildlife biologist] Robert Reed frequently saw the colorful granules that line aquariums along the shoreside, the remnants of some of the many animal dumpings that take place at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park.
Snapping turtles are found in the lake, as are red-eared slider turtles and other varieties, along with koi and goldfish, which are often released at the park in ceremonial rites common among some Asian cultures." Those visiting the park now claim that there's a 15-foot-long python roaming the lake.
· Roundup nets hundreds of snakes [Daily News]
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