Joe Rogan Experience #2536 - Eric Goode & Jeremy McBride
In a Nutshell
Eric Goode and Jeremy McBride's HBO series "Monsters of God" exposes how the $20 billion illegal wildlife trade—particularly the exotic reptile and turtle business—fuels invasive species crises in Florida while intersecting with drug trafficking and organized crime. The documentary reveals how pop culture (Jurassic Park, Harry Potter) spikes demand for endangered species, while lax regulations, understaffed enforcement, and massive Asian markets drive poaching that pushes one in five reptile species toward extinction. Key insight: the same psychological drivers—scarcity, status, and "living art" collecting—that fuel legitimate pet ownership also sustain criminal networks moving animals through airports in suitcases and using traffickers' tactics like hiding drugs in boa constrictors.
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Eric Goode and Jeremy McBride appear on the podcast to discuss their HBO docu-series "Monsters of God," which examines the reptile trade and its potential connection to Florida's estimated 500,000 pythons. The series explores the reptile industry as a multi-billion dollar global enterprise.
The Burmese python population in South Florida likely resulted from a combination of pet owners releasing animals when they grew too large and possibly a reptile research facility. Eric Goode kept a Burmese python as a teenager in the 1970s, noting that people commonly purchase small pythons and release them when they reach 15 feet in length.
Goode discusses giving away his entire menagerie when he went to college, including his Burmese python. The conversation addresses the difference in responsibility between giving away small pets like Chihuahuas versus large pythons that could potentially eat other animals if released into the wild.
Burmese pythons and green iguanas have established populations in Florida despite not being native. Goode draws a comparison between invasive species and human colonization, noting both represent successful adaptation to new environments.
Goode has kept and studied reptiles for over 60 years, beginning when his parents gave him a tortoise at age six. He caught rattlesnakes in his lunchbox as a child and has been bitten by rattlesnakes once, learning his lesson after that incident.
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