Florida Seeks To Get Rid Of Invasive Burmese Python

The Burmese python has worn out its welcome in Florida and for the second time since 2013 the state’s wildlife officials are asking people far and wide to search for the snake in the Everglades. Depending on where the invasive species are seen, people participating in the hunt can either kill or capture the snakes which usually measure up to 2 metres in length. The snakes are well camouflaged with their brownish markings but so far 1035 volunteers have managed to catch 106 snakes, which is far more than the 68 snakes participants caught in the last drive which took place in 2013.

Bad for the ecosystem

A spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it is bad for the ecosystem when there is an invasive species living in the area. The Burmese Python has done very well in the Everglades where summers are hot and humid and winters are mild. There have been reports of alligators eating pythons and vice versa but beyond that the only way to get rid of the species seems to be the Python Challenge. Nobody knows for sure how the pythons established themselves in the Everglades but there are two competing theories. It is thought that perhaps pet owners released captive snakes into the wild, or they escaped from captivity during Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Pythons can grow up to 8 metres

It takes approximately 15 hours to spot a python in the wild, though volunteers in this year’s challenge will have better luck if they confine their search to open areas, marshes, canal banks and pine rocklands. There is the additional benefit of holding the challenge during winter when the snakes spend more time basking in the sun as a result of the colder weather. In some areas participants can kill snakes but in other areas, the snakes must be brought in to be euthanised. Currently the longest wild python captured in Florida measured 5.5 metres long however they have been known to grow up to 8 metres in their home environment of South East Asia.