Exterminating an invasive species?

I have gone on a Burmese Python hunt in the Everglades. I only went on one hunt and bagged 3 pythons for one day’s work. That was enough for me. It’s hot, humid and can be stinky out there. The unpleasant smell in the Florida Everglades, often described as "rotten egg" or "sewage-like," is primarily caused by sulfur-containing compounds released during the decay of organic matter in the waterlogged environment. It made me very nauseous at times. I was with an experienced hunter and he killed my snakes because they have to be killed by using tools I didn’t have or own.

Here’s the pay plan:

In Florida, Burmese python hunters are compensated both hourly and per snake. They receive an hourly wage, typically ranging from $13 to $18, for up to 10 hours a day while actively searching for pythons. Additionally, they get a bonus for each snake they capture: $50 for those up to 4 feet long, and $25 for each additional foot beyond that. There's also a $200 bonus for each verified active python nest.

These are the men that won the 2024 hunt by catching 20 snakes.

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As we walked through the Everglades near a canal, my friend, who was also my neighbor in Florida, was about 10 feet away from me. I was keeping my nose to the ground looking for snakes when I came face to face with an alligator. I guess I frightened it because it made a quick 90 degree right turn towards the canal and skedaddled. I had to check my underwear because it scared the crap out of me.
 
oldman said:
I was keeping my nose to the ground looking for snakes when I came face to face with an alligator. I guess I frightened it because it made a quick 90 degree right turn towards the canal and skedaddled. I had to check my underwear because it scared the crap out of me.
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Yes, I know it's a croc... couldn't find a 'gator!

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The latest invasive reptile to invade tropical climates here in the U.S. are Tegus from Argentina. To me, they are ugly little critters.

 
Down here in Florida, we get a lot of former pets that people bought and then got tired of so they drop it off at a huge field that may be swampy. I would like to go south to the Everglades and hike through it, or if possible, to see if I can rent an airboat and spot any Pythons.
 
I may have said this before but I have been very lucky. There is a new teacher in the neighborhood who has some free time and has taken it upon herself to help round up the strays and get them neutered. She got three at my house yesterday. She has her own traps but the county will provide them if needed.
 
My neighbor's Persian cats seem to think the world of me because they hang out at my place most of the time. A few days ago one of them left me a medium size dead rat and today it was a Greater Coucal.

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Oldeagle66 said:
Let Mother Nature deal with it, or bring in it's natural predator if it has one. I'm not killing a living creature that hasn't done anything to me just because someone tells me I should. Let them do it while they figure out who screwed up.
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In Queensland Australia cane beetles were devastating the cane fields during the 20th Century. Someone had the bright idea to import cane toads from South America to eat the cane beetles, however it appears that in Australia they found something more appetising. Cane toads will eat just about anything but did not fancy the cane beetles.

The numbers of toads began to increase exponentially and they also began to spread out across Queensland and have since found their way west to the Northern Territory and south into New South Wales.

Cane toads secrete poison to deter predators and have had a devastating effect on native species that eat live or dead cane toads. In spite of every effort to limit their march across Australia it would seem that they are here to stay just like the rabbits, foxes, feral cats, camels, donkeys, horses and feral pigs introduced by Europeans to the Australian continent.

The best way to control feral species is not to introduce them in the first place.
 
I was reading a story on apple News about the spread of fire ants 🐜 @Warrigal they sound like a disaster waiting to happen as well …and apparently will attack a victim

While we was in QLD ( gold coast ) this year for 7 weeks we couldn’t help but notice the big red flashing signs warning about fire ants in the area and to report any sightings .

Apparently they have the ability to even survive in a flood buy joining their legs together to form a raft effect to float on flood waters / rivers
 

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