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Joe Skipper / Reuters
U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, left, walks with Florida Wildlife Commissioner Ron Bergeron as they take part in a hunt for pythons during a state-sponsored snake hunt in the Everglades, Fla. on Jan. 17. Python Challenge 2013 is a month-long event sponsored by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission offering prizes of $1,500 for the most pythons captured and $1,000 for the longest python.
By Barbara Liston, Reuters
A python hunting competition starting on Saturday is drawing hundreds of amateurs armed with clubs, machetes and guns to the Florida Everglades, where captured Burmese pythons have exceeded the length of minivans and weighed as much as grown men.
"I just thought it was as exciting as could be. It's a once- in-a-lifetime opportunity," said contestant Ron Polster, a retired salesman from Ohio whose closest encounter with the swamp has been from the highway heading south for the winter.
The stated goal of the competition is to raise awareness of the threat Burmese pythons pose to the Everglades ecosystem. The snakes are native to Southeast Asia and have no known predators in Florida. Full story
Joe Skipper / Reuters
A previously captured 13-foot Burmese python is held by Capt. Shawn Meiman for the press to view before U.S. Senator Bill Nelson took part in the state-sponsored snake hunt.
Joe Skipper / Reuters
An airboat with U.S. Senator Bill Nelson aboard skims across sawgrass during a hunt for Burmese pythons during the state-sponsored snake hunt, in the Everglades, Fla. on Jan. 17.
Joe Skipper / Reuters
A previously captured 13-foot Burmese python is held for the press to view on Jan. 17.
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"A previously captured 13-foot Burmese python is held for the press to view on Jan. 17."
Maybe, to succeed, you are going to have to actually kill the things - but I'm no biologist.
I personally understand the extent of this rapidly growing problem. BUT, I do have to say this "hunt" is about to open a whole mess of problems with Peta and other animal activists. I know something has to be done, but this needs to be in the most possible human way. Hunters showing up armed with "whatever" weapons they bring, and awarding prizes for killing these snakes... something about that just sounds very cruel and extremely in-humane to me. How would you like to be beat with a club or shot at until you died ?? There has to be a better way to deal with this issue. *shaking my head* and once again the human race amazes me.
A better way? no there is not, this is a non-stop ongoing problem that has only gotten worse. They have tried everything to control the problem. Several native species are becoming extinct due to these snakes, and not to mention the threat to humans. We are not talking about a few snakes out there, there are THOUSANDS! There is no way I can accept some PETA activist concerned over these snakes...jeez. It's these snake loving people who let them go into the wild to begin with because they didnt realize oh crap I love snakes but I don't know how to take care of it. Kill every single one they see I say.
can pythons be eaten ?
Anything can be eaten
Holly - it worked for the Native Americans - ought to be good enough for the snakes.