Burmese Pythons Caught in the Everglades  

burmese pythonsThe Burmese Python is an invasive species to the Everglades, causing a lot of destruction. In July, 5,000 Burmese pythons have been captured in the Everglades since hunters have been paid to track them down since 2017. The program to hunt down pythons is run by  the South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 

Scientists guess there are between 100,000 and 300,000 pythons in the Everglades. 

Registered hunters can earn a minimum wage for up to 10 hours of work a day, plus a bonus for their catch. They can receive $50 for each python measuring up to four feet plus $25 more for each food measured above four feet long. Hunters who catch a nesting female python will earn an extra $200. 

Pythons can easily reproduce in the Everglades because they have no real predators. Female pythons can lay up to 100 eggs.  

By reducing the number of pythons in the Everglades, hunters are helping bring a balance back to the ecosystem to the Everglades. 

Unfortunately, it has been estimated pythons have already eaten/killed more than 90 percent of mid-sized mammals in the Everglades. Pythons can eat more than their own body weight and grow up to seven feet long in their first year of life. Researchers are worried bird species will be wiped out in the Everglades, especially since they aren’t prepared to deal with this invasive predator. 

The answer to restoring the wildlife balance in the Everglades lies in the reduction/eradication of the pythons. To get a permit to hunt for pythons, click Everglades python permit page. 

The pythons lower animal populations by eating them, but they also harm the population who eats them! These snakes’ bodies hold high levels of mercury, which can poison any animal or reptile that eats them. The pythons’ presence is changing the entire ecosystem of the Everglades 

If python hunting isn’t your thing, visit the Everglades in a much more relaxing way… on an airboat tour! An airboat tour will give you a glimpse of the Everglades’ native, wonderful wildlife that is still around, despite pythons. To book a tour, click the Captain Mitch’s Everglades Airboat Tours  page or call 239-695-3377.