20,000 Invasive Burmese Pythons Removed From Everglades by 11,000 Contractors Since 2006: Are We Making Headway?

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About 11,000 contractors removed 20,000 invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades since 2006.

Since 2006, nearly 20,000 invasive Burmese pythons have been removed from the Everglades by Florida's 11,000 contractors. Experts explain whether this means that eradication is within reach.

Removing 20,000 Invasive Burmese Pythons From the Everglades

Since roughly 30 years ago, 20-foot-long, 200-pound Burmese pythons have been encroaching on Florida's Everglades.

Florida came up with a novel solution to the issue ten years ago: a week-long search for the pythons that attracted would-be snake killers from all over the world seeking to earn the $1,000 prize. Only 68 pythons were collected in the first Python Challenge ten years ago. About a thousand registrants killed and trapped 209 pythons this year. The 2023 competition's winners were recognized by the state on Friday. The contest took place from August 4 until August 13.

The major winner was Paul Hobbs, who went hunting with his father Tom, his 12-year-old son Dominic, and Austin Park, Hobbs' brother-in-law Austin Park (2021's top prize winner). The crew won the top prize of $10,000 after killing 20 snakes in one week. Hobbs claims that although it might appear simple to locate a reptile larger and heavier than an adult male in a setting primarily populated by smaller animals, the task has turned out to be incredibly challenging.

A Florida program that started in 2017 employs roughly a hundred contractors to attempt to kill the snakes year-round in addition to the state's yearly Python Challenge. A little under 20,000 snakes have been taken out since 2006, according to McKayla Spencer, the non-native fish and wildlife coordinator for Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, with 11,000 of those taken out by paid contractors.

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Population Monitoring and Eradication Woes

No reliable estimate exists for the precise number of pythons in existence. So it's difficult to estimate how much of a dent their population has suffered. According to the United States Geological Survey, "tens of thousands" of the creatures may be prowling around South Florida, and they are growing in number.

They have been seen as far south as the northern Florida Keys, as far north as Lake Okeechobee, and as far west as Naples. According to Spencer, pythons are apex predators, thus once they reach adulthood, there are virtually no predators for them. Except for humans, she added.

Without a precise population count to gauge progress against, it is difficult to determine whether the continuous effort is succeeding in reducing the invasive snake's population, which can expand quickly with up to 100 eggs being laid annually by each female snake. But earlier this year, a USGS research concluded that Burmese pythons are here to stay, which many in the snake community have long predicted. Overall, the researchers concluded that it is probably difficult to completely eradicate pythons in southern Florida.

Despite being cryptic and difficult to locate, researchers believe that new technologies will eventually make it easier to find and remove invasive species. But as of right now, removing as many snakes as possible, according to biologists, is the only objective. According to Spencer, every snake that is killed lessens the threat that it poses to local wildlife.