Key Largo, Fla.: Each year we make a pilgrimage to a group of islands we call paradise, an archipelago that juts between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico known as the Florida Keys.
Spanish explorers imagined these 1,700 islands as twisted and tortured souls and named them Los Martires (“the martyrs”) more than 500 years ago.
The northernmost island, Key Largo, provides some of the best opportunities for diving and fishing in the world. It is home to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the beginning of the only living coral reef in the United States.
And while I appreciate the importance of healthy coral colonies, they aren’t the siren song that calls us back each year.
For us, it is all about the animals that thrive on and in the waters surrounding the islands we have come to love.
In 1513, Spanish explorers led by Ponce de Leon, arrived in the Florida Keys hoping to find gold and the famed Fountain of Youth. The only gold they found was an unrelenting sun, along with sparse reservoirs of fresh water and lots of bugs, especially when the wind blows across the bay from the nearby Everglades National Park.
Little has changed in 500 years.
On our first visit almost 20 years ago, we hadn’t unloaded our rental car when a dolphin swam past in Florida Bay.
I was hooked with the first flip of its silky black fin.
Since then, we have communed with manatees, stingrays, sea turtles and birds and tropical fish in every hue.
We’ve seen our share of alligators and once spotted a rare and endangered American crocodile. Barracudas ply waters alongside nurse, blacktip and many other species of sharks.
But paradise has been invaded by some new inhabitants in the past few years that don’t belong here. Most invasive pets thrive in the tropical climate after they have escaped or been released by owners.
We shared a resort with several adult and juvenile iguanas whose ancestors made their way to the keys in the 1960s. The non-native green iguanas are now established and quite common in backyards and tree-lined streets. They are timid and nonthreatening, looking to humans only for the occasional handout of food.
The area is also home to the descendants of 900 Burmese pythons believed to have escaped from a warehouse where they were housed by an exotic pet dealer when Homestead took a direct hit from Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Today there are estimates that many thousands of them are roaming the Everglades and the nearby islands.
The venomous lionfish was imported from the western and central Pacific Ocean and introduced here by aquarium owners. The fish reproduce quickly and will eat anything in their paths. Humans are their only known predators.
Today, more than 500 non-native species have been observed in Florida — some more damaging than others.
Last month, a Nile crocodile was recovered in the Everglades. The 37-pound juvenile was too young to reproduce, which is a good thing, said the National Park Service.
A spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the crocodile is likely one that escaped from a Miami-Dade County home in 2012. Wildlife officials had been tracking the animal for four months when Hurricane Issaac hit Florida that year. If an owner can be determined, he or she will face prosecution as the crocodiles are federally protected and considered threatened internationally. The croc is being kept at a Homestead alligator farm.
The Nile crocodile differs from more docile, smaller American crocodiles because of its size and risk to humans. According to National Geographic, Nile crocodiles can grow to 17 feet or longer and weigh about 500 pounds. On average, they fatally attack hundreds of people a year in their native sub-Saharan Africa.
As much as I love wildlife, that’s one reptile I don’t want to meet.
Other animals in the news
Pet Expo — Summit Mall will host the event from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday to benefit the Humane Society of Greater Akron. The expo will feature exhibits, obedience demonstrations, an “Ask a Vet” center and a guest appearance from noon to 2 p.m. by television meteorologist Dick Goddard. The morning of the event, the mall will welcome guests and their pets who want to walk the mall from 7:30-9:30 a.m. in a Wag ’n’ Walk. Cost is $5 with proceeds benefiting the HSGA.
Spring Rummage Sale — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 11-12 at Stow-Kent Shopping Plaza, 4301 Kent Road, Stow, to benefit the Humane Society of Greater Akron. New and gently used household items.
Wine Tasting & Auction — 5:30-7 p.m. April 11 at Your Wine Cellar, 8385 Pearl Road, Strongsville, to benefit Kitten Krazy & Quick Fix of Medina. Admission is $10 and includes three wine samples and a tour of the facility. Reserve a spot at 330-558-1540 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday or 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday.
Kathy Antoniotti writes about pets for the Akron Beacon Journal. She is unable to help locate, place or provide medical attention for an individual animal. If you have an idea or question about pets, write her at the Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640; call 330-996-3565; or send an email to kantoniotti@thebeaconjournal.com.