Florida Creates Hunting Season For Invasive Python Species
Posted in Hunting on February 25th, 2010 by Arthur – Be the first to comment
Non-indigenous python species have been released over the years into the wetlands of Florida. The python has flourished particularly in the prey-rich areas protected by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commision.
Besides competing for prey, there have been multiple documented occurrences of pythons and alligators preying upon each other with the alligators usually winning.
The invasive python species now threaten species in Florida and as a result, the state of Florida has announced a python hunting season to cull python populations.
“TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — State wildlife officials have created a special python hunting season to try to stop the spread of the nonnative snakes throughout the Everglades.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says anyone with a hunting license who pays a $26 permit fee can kill the reptiles from March 8 to April 17 on state-managed lands around the Everglades in South Florida.
The season is open for Burmese and Indian pythons, African rock pythons, green anacondas and Nile monitor lizards.
Thousands of the nonnative Burmese pythons are believed to be in the region, upsetting the natural balance of the ecosystem.
Wildlife officials on Monday trained a group of hunters on how to identify, stalk, capture and remove them.”
No word from the state of Florida if they called-in a specialist.
