Florida and its Everglades National Park are battling a python invasion

Between year-round hunts and the Florida Python Challenge, the state of Florida is trying to rid the famous Everglades National Park of Burmese pythons, enormous snakes that are invading the region and endangering the ecosystem.

In Florida, the Burmese python became a trendy pet in the 1980s. But when the fad passed, the owners released the snakes in the Everglades National Park, in the south of the state. But two things were not considered: this Burmese python with its 3 to 6 meters in length has no natural predator, and the female can lay more than fifty eggs per year!

Thus, the species multiplied rapidly, to the point that there are tens of thousands of them today in the wild of South Florida. They feed on alligators, deer or protected species. In 2012, a government study pointed out that the raccoon population had decreased by half in 10 years and that the bobcat population had fallen by 87%. The authorities have therefore long sought to get rid of these pythons. So, a An annual competition was launched in 2013, the “Florida Python Challenge”.

This contest takes place in August and lasts a little over a week, when the animal is easiest to find. Whoever kills the most wins $10,000. But it’s not enough to register to participate in this contest. You have to follow an online training course and get more than 85% correct results on a test to validate this training. Another absolutely essential rule: the python must be killed “humanly”without a firearm. The contest website explains how to do it: stun the snake and insert a screwdriver into its skull. This year, more than 800 people tried their luck. Among them were about 150 military personnel and about 40 professional hunters.

Since the first contest in 2013, contestants have eliminated about 1,000 pythons. That’s not nearly enough to stop the invasion. So authorities also work year-round with professional hunters, who have killed 11,000 pythons. The Associated Press followed one of them, who says he hates killing snakes, but unfortunately it’s become his job. He’s paid $13 an hour – $18 if he has to walk through the Everglades swamps. He then receives a bonus based on the size of the snake, knowing that a python can reach 16 feet. The first meter is paid $50, and then $25 for every “slice” of 12 inches.