SAN LUIS POTOSÍ, Mexico.- An invasion of Burmese pythons is spreading across the Everglades, the 1.5 million-acre wetlands reserve at the southern tip of Florida, and threatening native wildlife there, US biologist said.
Populations of native birds, rabbits, raccoons and deer have been decimated, and even alligators have fallen prey to pythons, the outlet said. CBS.
Burmese cats are usually between two and three metres long, but can grow to more than four metres. They are not poisonous and do not usually attack people or domestic animals, the official explained. Florida Museum of Natural History, but they pose a threat to the native fauna of the area.
To carry out a mechanism to capture and control the invasion, the authorities launched the Florida Python Challengea challenge in which anyone can sign up to “humanely” capture and kill snakes. Winners can receive up to $10,000 in prizes.
The population of pythons skyrocketed in the mid-1990s after being imported from South Asia as exotic animals.
According to a study by Tufts University, climate change could cause the entire continental United States to become a habitat for Burmese pythons by 2050.
“The scope of this program is so large that we cannot do it alone,” he told CBS Zack Chejanovski, who trains participants in the hunt, said: “Pythons thrive in warm climates – so they have adapted quickly here in the Everglades – and they continue to spread; milder winters have led to sightings further north.”
Donna Kalil, who participated in the challenge and is also one of 100 people employed by the state’s Python Removal Program, said they aim to restore the Everglades. “I’m not afraid of the python,” Kalil said. “I’m afraid it will get away.”
Hunters have helped eradicate more than 14,000 pythons from the region, but authorities say they do not know how many escaped pythons are currently in the area. It is estimated that at least 100,000 of the reptiles live in the ecosystem.
