2020 Python Bowl aimed to remove invasive Burmese Pythons

[Gocntry]

Just wow , First of all don't get me wrong, I know the Burmese Pythons are a serious problem for Florida, and I also know they have to take care of the

problem.

But...

"With a python-skinned football in hand, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that registration for the 2020 Python Bowl is now open"

"Prizes, including cash, will be awarded for having the most pythons and the longest pythons."

Do they have to make it about fun and games?

Catching and euthanizing untold number of snakes (or any creature), should be more of a somber job attitude to me....

https://www.firstcoastnews.com/artic...3-7b6b7f3ca77e

[Bogertophis]

I agree with you...

What about all the feral cats...would they treat them this way & get away with it? Nooooooo!

[Pine]

The sad part about this is, there are some serious Python hunters that have respect for the environment.
This event will bring weekend stumble bumbs that will trample everything and there's going to be many injuries.

[Craiga 01453]

I saw that too. I will say, that Burm skin football actually looks pretty dope!!

However, I think it's so screwed up the way their making a "game" of it. Obviously the invasive Burm problem needs to be curbed, but this is just stupid.

And they're offering prizes in both "pro" and "amateur" divisions. Apparently all you need to do is complete a quick course on how to catch burms and you're good to go.
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG THERE?!?!?!

[rlditmars]

Sadly, this is the way of the world these days. First, remember that they are not trying to attract reptile enthusiasts, they are trying to attract hunters. People are competitive by nature, so if you make a game out of it you'll draw more interest. Hype is everything, thus the ball and the prizes.

We, the members of this community, have a different appreciation for the animals than John Q Public has. To many of them, the whole thing is irrelevant. To the true ecologists and those Floridians that are impacted by the situation, the animals are as welcomed as rats or cockroaches. They are a problem to be dealt with. I don't care what they do to remedy the situation as long as it doesn't put any further ill light on the legitimate reptile industry. If they were to eradicate the pythons in the glades, the ecosystem could go back to something closer to like it was. Also, the detractors would no longer have that arrow in their quiver to aim at the rest of the industry. I am fine with the money aspect as it was like that when they offered a bounty on coyotes. Personally, as a deer hunter, I wouldn't mind seeing that come back into play to better control the coyote population. Just my $0.02