Go Whack Some Snakes!

We don’t often cheer on organized animal slaughter, but what’s not to like about the Florida Python Challenge? For ten days  (August 5-14), snake hunters will be allowed to stomp around the Everglades to capture and kill  invasive Burmese pythons, which have infested the massive wetlands.

The hunters – both pro and novice – will compete for cash prizes. Whoever bags the most pythons will score $2500, and the longest python whacked will net $1500. Killers who place second will get some cash too, and active military competitors have additional carrots to encourage their sticks. Last year’s winner nabbed 41 snakes.

The killing is all well and good, but the point of the event is more to raise awareness. Say the organizers: “The Burmese python is a large, nonvenomous constrictor snake that is an invasive species in Florida. Burmese pythons were introduced to Florida via the pet trade and are now well established in the Everglades, where the snake represents a threat to the ecosystem, including native wildlife. Burmese pythons prey on native Florida species of mammals, birds and reptiles.”

Alligators have been gobbled up;  whole deer have been found inside gorged pythons. These serpents can grow to twenty feet long, though they average closer to eight to 10 feet.

Competitors are required to take a brief online training video, instructing hunters how to dispatch the snakes humanely and how to respect the  Everglades ecosystem. The hunters may use dogs and even drones to track their prey, but only in certain designated areas. Captured snakes are sent to hell with a sharp jab to the brain, using a rigid metal tool like a screwdriver, spike or pick.

The war against pythons doesn’t end with the August event, as the state pays professional contractors to remove the invaders year round. Like the War on Terror, it is neverending: female pythons lay between 50-100 eggs a year.

 Photo credit: Florida Python Challenge