It Took Florida An Unbelievable Amount Of Time To Pull 5000 Pythons From The Everglades
Florida is no stranger to invasive species, but one of the most harmful has been the Burmese pythons plaguing the Everglades. An astonishing 5000 pythons have been removed from the Florida Everglades thanks to the efforts of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Florida Water Management District.
The efforts began in 2017, taking roughly 3 years of working with public snake hunters to track the reptiles which had become apex predators in the Everglades.
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Every snake counts. Each invasive python eliminated represents hundreds of native Florida wildlife saved.
SFWMD Governing Board Member “Alligator Ron” Bergeron
The invasion came about by the continued release of pet snakes, so if you need to surrender an exotic pet, you can do so through the FWC’s Exotic Pet Amnesty Program.
The public can support continued conservation efforts and removal of the invasive snakes by reporting sightings to the FWC’s Exotic Species Hotline at 888-IveGot1 (888-483-4681), going online to IveGot1.org, or even reporting via the free smartphone app IVEGOT1.
If you can do so safely, taking a photo of the snake and noting the exact location for Python Action Team and Python Elimination Program responders to extract the snake from the wild is also helpful.