Right now is the primary day of The Florida Python Problem, the place snake hunters will wade into the Everglades to trace down invasive Burmese pythons. As much as $25,000 in prizes are up for grabs throughout this annual 10-day challenge from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee.
In 2000, Burmese pythons had been first identified in Everglades National Park. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), they had been both deliberately or by accident launched by individuals who owned them as pets.
Since then, the big reptiles have shortly turn into some of the harmful overseas species within the park’s historical past. The inhabitants has solely continued to develop and it now occupies most of southern Florida. Burmese pythons can grow to over 18 feet long and weigh over 200 pounds. A feminine Burmese python can lay up to 50 to 100 eggs at a time, and so they have thrived within the Everglades’ humid tropical to subtropical local weather.
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Since they eat a variety of animals, they’ve significantly altered the meals internet and ecosystems throughout the Better Everglades. A 2023 review from the USGS, discovered that the snakes have contributed to the declines of possums, bobcats, foxes, cottontail rabbits, and raccoons. The percentages of eradicating them as soon as they unfold throughout a big space are very low.
“The enduring Everglades is a nationwide treasure and the Florida Python Problem is an effective way to get the general public concerned in understanding the distinctive Everglades ecosystem. Eradicating invasive pythons from throughout the Better Everglades Ecosystem is vital, and we should do every little thing we are able to to fight this invasive species,” South Florida Water Administration District Governing Board Member “Alligator Ron” Bergeron said in a statement.
The hunt begins today and ends at 5 p.m. local time on Sunday, August 18. The objective is to humanely kill as many Burmese pythons as attainable. The species will not be protected in Florida, however anti-cruelty legislation nonetheless applies on this scenario. Firearms will not be allowed within the problem. The Florida Python Problem outlines an permitted two-step course of for killing the snakes, which incorporates utilizing a captive bolt and guaranteeing that the snakes stay unconscious through the process.
The 2023 problem introduced in 209 pythons. Over the subsequent 10 days, hunters will use designated areas that span western Broward County to the Tamiami Path within the Massive Cypress Wildlife Administration Space. Different spots embody Southern Glades, Holey Land, and Rotenberger. There’s each in-person and on-line coaching on tips on how to determine these snakes.
The highest prize of $10,000 shall be awarded to the person who catches essentially the most pythons. There are three basic classes–Novice, Skilled, and Navy. The one who catches essentially the most pythons in every of those classes will win $2,500, with the runners-up receiving $1,500, The one who catches the longest python will win $1,000.
The South Florida Water Administration District and the state started hiring contractors to deal with the difficulty 12 months spherical in 2017. Since then, greater than 11,000 pythons have been eliminated, with 2,200 eliminated in 2023 alone. The heaviest python contractors have caught was a feminine that weighed 215 pounds and was close to 18-feet-long. It was caught by Conservancy of Southwest Florida biologists in 2022.
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Former state contractor and self-named “Python Huntress” Amy Siewe gained the 2023 prize for longest python. She caught a snake that was 10 toes and 9 inches lengthy. She is not going to be taking part this 12 months as a consequence of a knee surgical procedure. She told the Associated Press that she will not be a fan of this annual problem, because it has began to attract massive crowds which can be probably scaring off pythons and hunters could also be killing native snakes–together with cottonmouths, corn snakes, and brown water snakes–that they mistake for pythons.
“Pythons don’t tackle their regular behavioral sample as a result of there’s a lot visitors and so they’ll come up after which they’ll return into the swamp,” Siewe told AP. “I really feel for myself, it’s counterproductive.”
