Posted on 01/12/2013 4:07:33 PM PST by george76
The chance to traipse through Florida's Everglades in search of wild pythons up to 15 feet long has attracted nearly 700 thrill-seekers from throughout the county.
The Sunshine State is offering cash prizes in the month-long “Python Challenge,” which begins tomorrow and is aimed at helping to control the exploding population of the non-native Burmese pythons, which have devastated Florida's eco-system. Anyone is eligible for the hunt
...
cash prizes of up to $1,500 will be given to hunters who catch the largest and most pythons. The pythons that have nearly eradicated entire native species such as deer, bobcats and rabbits are believed to be traceable to abandoned pets and pythons released from a breeding facility destroyed during Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
The U.S. Geological Survey has estimated that as many as 100,000 exist in the Everglades. Although the snakes are not venomous, experts say they could potentially pose a deadly threat to small children. They kill by squeezing, then swallowing, their prey.
“Aside from the obvious goal of reducing the Burmese python population in the Everglades, we also hope to educate the public about Burmese pythons in Florida and how people can help limit the impact of this and other invasive species in Florida,” Segelson said. “We are also using the Challenge to gauge the effectiveness of using an incentive-based model as one tool to address a challenging invasive species management problem."
The online tutorial recommends that hunters use machetes to decapitate their quarry, or dispatch them with bullets.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, we don’t seem to have any of them up in the panhandle.
It would be nice to kill the largest one and get $1500 to boot.
I think the largest is going to make more than one boot... ;-)
*ping of interest*
If it's invasive species you're after you can always come over to Louisiana and play in the Nutria Control Program. Governor Jindal will pay you $5 x tail, plus you might find other buyers for the fur and meat. In 2011-12 the program paid out about $1.7M, so I don't know why you'd want to play around trying to score $1500 for a python :-)
Because while you hunt the python the python hunts you.
Keeps it interesting.
Those Nutria’s run 100 times faster than a slithering python. Therefore lot of wasted bullets for the nutria vs. 1 good aimed shot to kill the python.
I do have one Python I am very partial to.
It’s stainless, and with a 125 grain JHP ‘barks’ very nicely.
Can I borrow Eva Marie for a few days?
Drunk crackers with guns chasing snakes through swamps?
What could possibly go wrong?
;D
[I say ship up ‘em all up to Nutria World and let nature take its course]
The pros on Python Hunters have a rip of a time locating them.
I can’t imagine this is going to be a rousing success...and lots of native snakes are going to get accidentally whacked.
Unseasonable cold snaps have been steadily killing them off, either outright or via respiratory infections, anyway.
The Burms just aren’t built for even the warmest parts of FL.
They’re tropical snakes.
The native gators have been feasting on them happily, though.
PETA is not happy
And you never will.
They’re barely able to survive the ‘cold’ of the glades.
It cracks me up that people in the northeast are terrified that they’re going to be invaded by Burms.
My snakes are in climate controlled containers and when the electricity goes off, I’m in a blind panic to keep them warm until it comes back on.
A few hours below their necessary 90 degree temps will give them respiratory infections.
For what?
/looks at 50mm with narrowed eyes
100,000 in the Everglades doesn’t sound like they are exactly going extinct. ;-)
I am not so sure.
South Florida has crocodiles which are generally found only in very warm climates.
Bravo python hunters, git r done.
LOL! You just made my day.
It's too bad FL doesn't put a bounty on the Burms and then make it legal for the hunters to sell the skins to makers of boots, belts, purses, etc. Put some profit in it for the hunter and they'll make a real dent in that invasive species population.
That would really upset the PETA freaks. :)
The only good snake is a dead snake.
I'm taking a vacation to Flo North Dakota and could use some help with the driving. She'll be safe with me. >:)
Just put a decent bounty on ‘em and they won’t last long.
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