Pythons creating a stir among Everglades community

(Photo courtesy Steven Featherstone)

Rebecca Piccardo/Contributing Writer

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and its partners hosted the “2013 Python Challenge,” a month-long harvest competition that invited both amateur and professional hunters to capture the Burmese python, an invasive species of constrictor snake that has impacted the Everglades ecosystem.

 The competition took place from Saturday, Jan. 12 until Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. During this period, a total of 68 Burmese pythons were harvested. These were captured from any of the four wildlife management areas for the competition, which excluded the Everglades National Park.

According to the FWC’s website, the Burmese python arrived in South Florida as an exotic pet, but is now listed as a conditional species and cannot be sold or kept as a pet. As one of the largest snakes in the world, with an average length of six to nine feet long, the Burmese python has no natural predators and has begun to raise environmental concerns; they prey on various “mammals, birds, and even alligators.”

In order to partake in the event, competitors needed to register online, pay a $25 fee, and take an online training course. The contest consisted of two categories: the General Competition and the Python Permit Holders Competition. There were five prizes given per category: a $1,500 Grand Prize and a $750 Second Place prize for the most Burmese pythons captured, a $1000 First Place prize and a $750 Second Place prize for the longest Burmese pythons and an additional prize that was picked through a random drawing.

 According to the event’s website, the main goal of this month-long harvest competition was to raise awareness about the “threat that Burmese pythons present to the Everglades ecosystem, including native wildlife.” By raising awareness, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and its partners hoped to “encourage responsible harvesting of Burmese pythons and encourage people to report sightings of invasive species.”

The “2013 Python Challenge” included two free public events: the “2013 Python Challenge Kickoff,” which was held at the University of Florida Research and Education Center on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013, and the “2013 Python Challenge Awareness and Awards Event,” which was held at Zoo Miami on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013.

 Blake Russ, a junior construction management, received the first place prize for harvesting the longest Burmese python and the second place prize for harvesting the second most pythons in the Permit Holders category.

 Although killing the snakes was a requirement for the competition, Russ said that the University of Florida asked the FWC to make an exception in order to use Russ’ 11-foot-1-inch python for research purposes.  According to Russ, The University of Florida placed a “GPS tracker, inserted a chip in it, and re-released it.” In the future, Russ plans to go back with the University of Florida and re-catch the snake.

When catching pythons, Russ pulls them by the tail, waits until they wear out and then grabs their neck. However, to pull and capture the prize-winning snake, Russ said it was like a “tug-of-war” and needed the help of his friend, Devin Belliston. When transporting the snakes, Russ recommended pillowcases, because it is the “least stressful” for them.

Aside from the competition, Russ and his group, the “Florida Python Hunters,” continue to harvest the Burmese python, along with other types of invasive species, and turn them in to the FWC or the University of Florida.