Florida Python Hunt

I would participate if I could bring the snakes home and keep them...

http://content.govdelivery.com/accou...letins/1288e33

http://pythonchallenge.org/participate/registration/

Bummer

But at least you have a chance of winning some cash. Then you can go buy a Burm!

I might be wrong, but don't those pythons end up killed? I think that's what my uncle from Florida told my mother anyway...


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I believe so. They used to have a tv show called Python Hunters a few years back.

I know I've at least heard of that show. It just breaks my heart because these animals never should have been released to be in this position in the first place.


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Originally Posted by gaitedappy

I might be wrong, but don't those pythons end up killed? I think that's what my uncle from Florida told my mother anyway...


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Well in that case I sure wouldn't want anything to do with it.

In the rules it states that all pythons must be humanely euthanized. It seems that some areas of collection require the snake to be alive, others allow them to be euthanized. There is a training on the website on how to do this. It sucks for the snakes, but they are a non-native invasive species and the fear is they are having an adverse affect on the everglades eco-system.

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In the early winter of 2013, nearly 1,600 participants in the first Python Challenge™ trekked through more than a million acres of swamps and sawgrass in search of the well-camouflaged Burmese python. Dedicated competitors removed 68 snakes from the Everglades ecosystem — the most ever removed for a similar time period. As important as the removal of these snakes was, the Python Challenge™ also brought international awareness to the challenges Florida is facing with Burmese pythons and other invasive species. The Python Challenge™ also proved to be an unprecedented opportunity to gather data about these snakes and their impacts on the ecosystem.

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Luckily it's over a 5 hour drive from me or I'd probably be more tempted. I get the feeling it'd just be a depressing spectacle all around. It's not the removing/euthanizing that bothers me. It's advertising to a bunch of random amateurs to come stomp around in the everglades with a license to kill. I wonder how many native animals were killed during their last debacle. That's a statistic that definitely should be included when they post this stuff.

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Originally Posted by John1982

Luckily it's over a 5 hour drive from me or I'd probably be more tempted. I get the feeling it'd just be a depressing spectacle all around. It's not the removing/euthanizing that bothers me. It's advertising to a bunch of random amateurs to come stomp around in the everglades with a license to kill. I wonder how many native animals were killed during their last debacle. That's a statistic that definitely should be included when they post this stuff.

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I must agree, a major concern if mine is the safety of the environment that the ametures are traipsing around in. As it is impossible for every participant to be supervised, it is highly likely that they are doing a lot of damage as they go about searching for these pythons. I would imagine that many of the participants only even register in the hopes of winning the cash prize. Now, I am in no way condemning the participants, the pythons are a huge problem for the everglades ecisystem, I just feel that a bunch of cash hungry ametures can be just as big of a problem if not bigger. Irresponsible people got us into the mess in the first place when they decided to release their pet into the wild, but I think it can be made even worse if people traipse around a fragile ecosystem just to win a quick buck.

That being said, something does need to be done about this situation, I just don't think the python hunt is the way to accomplish the goal. I feel like a system of trained volunteers working with trained biologists or other professionals to come up with a solution and control populations would be a less harmful overall solution. The spectacle of the "festivities" could just as easily be made with a similar show or fair type event. Of course I am not sure of if this has been debated over or suggested in the past or if it is even possible, it's really just my musings on the topic.

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Originally Posted by gaitedappy

It just breaks my heart because these animals never should have been released to be in this position in the first place.

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Just to touch on this, it's believed the majority of the invasive Burmese established themselves when a private reptile breeding facility near the Everglades was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Although of course any intentional releases only exacerbate the problem and yes, should never happen.

There is also an established population of boa constrictors on the Deering Estate property in Dade county but luckily those have not spread beyond the small area where they established themselves.
http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/no...es/common-boa/

I still shake my head whenever the news reports those exaggerated numbers of invasive pythons as being tens of thousands when during, I think it was the first hunt, in 2013 they found a whopping 68 snakes.

I do wish those luck that participate, I hope they can safely remove as many as possible.