West Palm Beach, FL - The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board's Python Elimination Program has eliminated 1,000 Burmese pythons, protecting countless native species from being ravaged by the invasive, apex predator.
The milestone snake was eliminated this past weekend by python hunter Brian Hargrove.
"The success of this program was made possible through a dedicated team approach," said SFWMD scientist Mike Kirkland, project manager for the Python Elimination Program. "Staff implemented, hunters executed and our state leadership, particularly Gov. Rick Scott, supported a program that fights for the Everglades every day."
"Congratulations to the South Florida Water Management District, and the many hunters that have taken part in this program, on the elimination of their 1000th invasive Burmese python," said U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Naples. "The 12-foot-long python that is hanging in my office is a daily reminder of the need to eradicate this species and protect the unique ecosystem of our Everglades."
About the Program
A team of professional python hunters were selected from more than 1,000 applicants and given access to District-owned lands in Miami-Dade County for the pilot phase and later in Broward, Collier and Palm Beach counties as the program expanded. These independent contractors are paid $8.25 per hour, up to eight hours daily, to hunt in the Everglades and humanely euthanize each python they catch in the field according to American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines. Depending on the size of the snake presented, hunters can also receive additional payments of $50 for pythons measuring up to 4 feet and an extra $25 for each foot measured beyond 4 feet. An additional $200 is awarded for elimination of python nests with eggs.
SFWMD's Python Elimination Program facilitates the elimination of the invasive snakes on District-owned land. A similar successful program managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Python Removal Contractor Program, pays qualified individuals to survey other specific areas of state-owned land for pythons, either capture or humanely euthanize the snakes and then deposit them at designated drop-off locations.
The invasive Burmese python, which breeds and multiplies quickly and has no natural predator in the Everglades ecosystem, has decimated native populations of wildlife. The more that can be eliminated, especially females and their eggs, the better chance future generations of native wildlife will have to thrive in the Everglades ecosystem that Floridians have invested billions of dollars to restore.
