Python Hunters in Florida, USA after 18', 200 Pounder Found in Everglades

Em in Ohio

Em in Ohio

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DeSantis said more than $3 million has been put toward the removal of pythons in Florida. To remove more pythons more efficiently, contractors have been using the money from the state to develop better tools and technology to detect these large snakes.

AP22167638659623.jpg

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a June 16, 2022, media event in Miami, where he announced that registration for the 2022 Florida Python Challenge has opened for the annual 10-day event to be in August. The Python Challenge is intended to engage the public in participating in Everglades conservation through invasive species removal of the Burmese python. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

"The Everglades, of course, is a diverse ecosystem and we are protecting this ecosystem in a variety of different ways," DeSantis said.

A summer program created by the state and Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWS) called the Florida Python Challenge allows and encourages the public to hunt and remove pythons for a prize.

"This challenge allows the public to engage direct hands-on in Everglades restoration," DeSantis said. "You can win prizes and of course, you will be doing a public service."

I couldn't help but notice that they say "remove," not "relocate."

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weat...thon-discovered-in-florida-everglades/1207619
 

I'm thankful that we don't have any invasive species like the Burmese python to deal with, but we do spend millions trying to eradicate a variety of invasive pests without much success.

https://nyis.info/species-information/

I would assume that something similar is being done in every state.

The invasive species that I remember fondly from my Florida vacations were the parrots that had escaped and continued to thrive in my great aunt's old West Palm Beach neighborhood.
 
A guy had a 15 ft. python with him on the beach today. My son took his son & wife to see it. I didn't go. Years & years ago my husband had a friend with one. Ugh.
 

Aunt Bea said:
I'm thankful that we don't have any invasive species like the Burmese python to deal with, but we do spend millions trying to eradicate a variety of invasive pests without much success.

https://nyis.info/species-information/

I would assume that something similar is being done in every state.

The invasive species that I remember fondly from my Florida vacations were the parrots that had escaped and continued to thrive in my great aunt's old West Palm Beach neighborhood.
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I hope they aren't hunting the parrots!

Your link (which is absolutely fabulous and so are sub-links!) led me to something scarier than pythons (to me, at least) -
https://nyis.info/invasive_species/viral-hemorrhagic-septicemia/
This disease attacks fish in the lakes - including my Lake Erie!
 
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Em in Ohio said:
DeSantis said more than $3 million has been put toward the removal of pythons in Florida. To remove more pythons more efficiently, contractors have been using the money from the state to develop better tools and technology to detect these large snakes.

AP22167638659623.jpg

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a June 16, 2022, media event in Miami, where he announced that registration for the 2022 Florida Python Challenge has opened for the annual 10-day event to be in August. The Python Challenge is intended to engage the public in participating in Everglades conservation through invasive species removal of the Burmese python. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

"The Everglades, of course, is a diverse ecosystem and we are protecting this ecosystem in a variety of different ways," DeSantis said.

A summer program created by the state and Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWS) called the Florida Python Challenge allows and encourages the public to hunt and remove pythons for a prize.

"This challenge allows the public to engage direct hands-on in Everglades restoration," DeSantis said. "You can win prizes and of course, you will be doing a public service."

I couldn't help but notice that they say "remove," not "relocate."

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weat...thon-discovered-in-florida-everglades/1207619
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<grin> I like remove as opposed to re-locate........... I hate snakes . I heard that what they do is take them to a place away from the public eye ....... and shoot them ?
 
Murrmurr said:
But they're not indigenous to Florida, though, and they're eating creatures that are, which is wonkifying the ecosystem.
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I understand that, Murrmurr. But, they could be relocated to controlled habitats, especially those with an over-abundance of deer (what this female last ate). I just think that sending out snake vigilantes will lead to animal cruelty - and potential injuries or even death to the hunters.
 
I went python hunting one season in the Everglades. I caught two pretty nice size snakes. Did you know that if you held their mouth shut, they would not constrict? The Everglades also has these small white-tail deer, which I did not hunt, but they would come out of nowhere. They have signs posted in the Everglades to be watchful for Florida Black Panthers. I didn't see any on my hunt, but others did.
 
Em in Ohio said:
I understand that, Murrmurr. But, they could be relocated to controlled habitats, especially those with an over-abundance of deer (what this female last ate). I just think that sending out snake vigilantes will lead to animal cruelty - and potential injuries or even death to the hunters.
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Not much risk of death to the hunters.
Pythons have 80-100 razor-sharp teeth. They can cause injury but not death. They are powerful constrictors, but they kill their prey by constriction.
 
win231 said:
Not much risk of death to the hunters.
Pythons have 80-100 razor-sharp teeth. They can cause injury but not death. They are powerful constrictors, but they kill their prey by constriction.
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Haha - I was worried about that years ago when a pet store asked me if I wanted to hold a 12 footer. The snake must have really liked me, because he started wrapping around me and giving me a really good hug! It took two big men to free me from this fond embrace!

Sadly, it's exotic pet stores and short-thinking people who cause problems like in Florida. But, I did enjoy taking my kids there - very interesting and much easier (and cheaper) than going to the zoo
 
Been There said:
I went python hunting one season in the Everglades. I caught two pretty nice size snakes. Did you know that if you held their mouth shut, they would not constrict? The Everglades also has these small white-tail deer, which I did not hunt, but they would come out of nowhere. They have signs posted in the Everglades to be watchful for Florida Black Panthers. I didn't see any on my hunt, but others did.
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What did you do with the snakes after you caught them, if I may ask?
 
Em in Ohio said:
What did you do with the snakes after you caught them, if I may ask?
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I turned mine into the Everglades Animal Rescue Association. They pay something like $50, plus an extra $20 or so for every foot over 4 feet. It's been awhile and I really didn't do it for the money, so I may be a bit off on how much I got, but the numbers are close. When they have an actual hunt, which I think lasts a week, they pay a lot more for the person who catches the longest snake. It's actually like a Python Challenge. If you take them in alive, they euthanize them. It's been known that some of the females have been found with eggs still inside of her. The person catching the snake needs to be really careful not to get bitten. They have a really nasty bite that can become infected very quickly because of their mouth has a lot of diseases in it and like the one guy that was bitten in his arm ended up losing his arm because of the infection.

If you stop at one of the rest areas inside the Everglades Park, there is a ton of information about the Pythons. They are actually more dangerous than the gators because they usually will not run, but attack, like a rogue alligator will. Most gators will try to avoid humans, but there are rogue alligators that will stand their ground or even attack. You get too close to the water, they will even jump ashore, grab the person and drag them into the water where they will kill their catch. What I thought was a bit weird is that there are people that camp out in the Everglades Park.
 
Been There said:
I turned mine into the Everglades Animal Rescue Association. They pay something like $50, plus an extra $20 or so for every foot over 4 feet. It's been awhile and I really didn't do it for the money, so I may be a bit off on how much I got, but the numbers are close. When they have an actual hunt, which I think lasts a week, they pay a lot more for the person who catches the longest snake. It's actually like a Python Challenge. If you take them in alive, they euthanize them. It's been known that some of the females have been found with eggs still inside of her. The person catching the snake needs to be really careful not to get bitten. They have a really nasty bite that can become infected very quickly because of their mouth has a lot of diseases in it and like the one guy that was bitten in his arm ended up losing his arm because of the infection.

If you stop at one of the rest areas inside the Everglades Park, there is a ton of information about the Pythons. They are actually more dangerous than the gators because they usually will not run, but attack, like a rogue alligator will. Most gators will try to avoid humans, but there are rogue alligators that will stand their ground or even attack. You get too close to the water, they will even jump ashore, grab the person and drag them into the water where they will kill their catch. What I thought was a bit weird is that there are people that camp out in the Everglades Park.
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Thank you for this information. I'm glad to hear that there is an Everglades Animal Rescue Association. As I said previously, humans are the invasive species. Some invade and destroy the natural habitats. Some create problems by releasing foreign species, either by accident or just because they could no longer handle their 'exotic' pets. /-;

And this 200 pound python had, I believe, twenty one eggs. They would fetch a high price as food items in some places.
 
I had a picture of me holding a 15 foot python across the back of my neck. The fellow that caught it was holding its mouth shut so it wouldn’t constrict. That’s the first I had heard that holding its mouth shut will keep it from constricting. I wonder why? I won’t be going hunting for any. I have taken airboat rides through the Glades and was hoping to see a panther, but no luck.
 
oldman said:
I had a picture of me holding a 15 foot python across the back of my neck. The fellow that caught it was holding its mouth shut so it wouldn’t constrict. That’s the first I had heard that holding its mouth shut will keep it from constricting. I wonder why? I won’t be going hunting for any. I have taken airboat rides through the Glades and was hoping to see a panther, but no luck.
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No idea why that would work. I would think it would piss-off the snake because it couldn't bite if it wanted to - and result in making it constrict even harder ???
 
Murrmurr said:
But they're not indigenous to Florida, though, and they're eating creatures that are, which is wonkifying the ecosystem.
Click to expand...
Pythons are not native to Florida Everglades or elsewhere in Florida. They are multiplying rapidly, and disrupting the balance of other animals and insects by eating/killing off the natural survival of other species.
Not to mention harming humans.
 
About Em In Ohio's pic, I think it's kind of ironic when you see a bunch of politicians talking about snakes in the grass.
I don't have any qualms about eradicating pythons from the Everglades. If you want to be 'humane', there's an18 foot, 200 pound python you can keep in your bedroom.
 
Right Now said:
Pythons are not native to Florida Everglades or elsewhere in Florida. They are multiplying rapidly, and disrupting the balance of other animals and insects by eating/killing off the natural survival of other species.
Not to mention harming humans.
Click to expand...
But pythons wouldn't be there if not for the stupid humans who frequent exotic pet businesses, think "Oh, this will be cool," and then release them to the wilds of populated Florida when they get bored of them or the "pets" become a hazard because they reached maturity. In my opinion, it's just another human-made problem.
 
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