400 sign up for python hunt
Nearly 400 people from 17 states will enter the Everglades this weekend to hunt Burmese Pythons, the giant constrictors that have been identified as the latest threat to South Florida's wildlife. The event has attracted media attention and participants from around the US.
Burmese Pythons are native to South Asia, and were brought to South Florida by the exotic pet trade. They consume small mammals, wading birds, alligators and fully grown deer. The longest python discovered so far was 17 feet 8 inches long and contained 87 eggs.
This event will last an entire month, and begins with talks on identifying and handling pythons. This will take place at 10am this Saturday at the University of Florida's Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Centre, in Davie. The hunt itself will commence at 1pm in the same day.
According to organisers a hunting license is not required except for under 18s. No experience with snakes is necessary either; the only training required to participate will be carried out online. An awards ceremony will end the event on 16th February, where a prize of $1000 will be awarded for the longest snakes caught, and $1500 for the most snakes caught.
It has been questioned whether it is wise to encourage amateurs to use firearms and take on such dangerous exotics. Warner Booth, Science Director of the US Association of Reptile Keepers said he saw the hunt as a potential “disaster” for both people and snakes.
"You've got venomous species, like the eastern diamondback rattlesnake and the cottonmouth," he said. "I think we're going to see native wildlife being killed and a potential human safety issue with people being bitten."
However, Stuart Pimm, professor of conservation ecology at Duke University says that Burmese Pythons present to the Everglades:
"A very serious threat indeed. It could radically change the composition of the species that we find in the Everglades, and the Everglades have enough threats without the snakes. I think extreme measures are extremely appropriate."
After the hunt ends on 10th February, scientists will examine the snakes, studying their diet, age, sex, genetics and other biological characteristics. Participants are required by note their locations, water level, weather conditions and time of day. One of the designers of the challenge, Frank Mazzotti, professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Florida, says that the hunt will not eradicate the problem but will provide information about the snakes and the effectiveness of hunting them.
"This will give us the most complete sample that's ever been taken of pythons," he said.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
