Leather purses made from invasive Burmese python skin could help Florida's native species survive.
A project started by a group of environmental activists who have had success working with the skins of other invasive species has entwined the campaign to eradicate invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades of Florida with New York's haute fashion sector.
The Tampa-based team got its start turning the skins of exotic lionfish off the US southeast coast and the Caribbean Sea into high-end sneakers in collaboration with the Italian shoemaker P448.
The team was created by a group of former college mates who share a passion for scuba diving.
The Leather Bags Solution
However, a recent US Geological Survey (USGS) report estimates that up to 150,000 unwanted pythons are slithering through the Everglades and devouring increasing numbers of native wildlife, including white-tailed deer, rabbits, and rats.
As a result, the new endeavor of turning snake skin into designer handbags presents a more significant challenge.
Pythons in the Everglades are such a massive problem, according to Aarav Chavda, co-founder of the business Inversa Leathers, that it requires so many resources, a lot of energy, and so many different interests to try to solve it.
It will take years to combat it and create more effective tools.
The truly wonderful aspect of this, though, is that many consumers are actively pursuing a solution to the issue, which attracts a lot more support along the road in the form of resources, ability, and attention.
Burmese Python Skins
Pythons, which may grow up to 20 feet long, are first tracked down, humanely captured, and killed by hunters in the Everglades.
The skins are processed and tanned by Inversa, and Piper & Skye, an accessories company in New York renowned for both its high-end leather goods and environmental principles, use them to create a variety of vibrant handbags.
The most expensive ones cost close to $1,000.
The project uses a bounty system similar to that used by Inversa to encourage low-income Caribbean fishers who would not otherwise be motivated to catch coral-destroying lionfish.
As more people learn about the history behind the purses, Chavda predicted that the number of pythons trapped and processed in this way will increase.
The USGS has referred to the python issue as one of the most difficult invasive species problems in the world.
Wildlife authorities in Florida have used a range of strategies in recent years to try to get a grasp on the problem, including working with university researchers and environmental organizations.
An annual 10-day python challenge is held by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC), with a $10,000 prize going to the hunter who harvests the most snakes.
Despite this, after multiple rounds of this competition, pythons succeeded the Native American alligator as the top predator in the Florida swamplands.
The USGS survey conducted earlier this year revealed that the python population is expanding farther and faster than ever before, which scientists believe was caused by pet owners abandoning unwanted reptiles and releasing them in the wild in the 1980s, as published by The New York Times.
That makes Chavda and his group believe that their endeavor is urgent.
He claimed that the Everglades used to be teeming with music, energy, and life.
Songbirds, marsh hares, rabbits, and otters were only a few examples of the abundant native wildlife that formerly lived there.
It is now completely silent and dead.
According to Chavda, they are attempting to draw attention to, concentrate on, and harness the power of consumers-likely the most powerful sector of society on the planet-to address a very specific issue, The Guardian reported.
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