USA
This article was added by the user . TheWorldNews is not responsible for the content of the platform.

Hunters flock to the Florida Everglades for the annual python challenge. State says saving ecosystems is essential

According to wildlife experts, if you find one mammal in the area today, you are lucky.

Who is to blame for this decline in wildlife? An invasive species known as the Burmese python.
Hundreds of snake hunters are gathering for theFlorida Python Challengeto address this problem in the Florida ecosystem. Created by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the event began in 2013.

"I love snakes. I hate that we have to do this, but snakes are invasive and they are changing entire ecosystems." Amy Seewe told CNN.

These reptiles were discovered in Florida in his 1979, according to the Commission.

"They were brought to Florida by accidental and intentional release through the pet trade," a commission spokesperson told CNN on Friday.

Since then they have continued to kill and pose a major threat to wildlife.

The event brings together hundreds of professional snake hunters in the Everglades to hunt and kill reptiles. As of Friday, the commission said he had more than 850 people registered.

On August 5th, his 10-day challenge of the year began.

To participate, members had to take an online training course and pay a $25 registration fee. The hunter who brings home the most pythons wins $2,500.

Last year, participants killed more than 200 of her pythons.

Challenges aside, eradication efforts are underway throughout the year. More than 17,000 pythons have been killed and reported since 2000, according to the commission.

The python has "decreased wildlife for years," said Michael Kirkland, a biologist with the South Florida Water Management District, he told CNN.

"The challenge is to get rid of as many pythons as possible from the area," he said. } Contractors hired by water management districts work all year round and take part in the challenge of catchingcritters.

Kirkland said pythons have caused up to a 90% decline in animals in the area.

full-time jobs

Among the many who took part in the challenge this year were Siewe and Donna Kalil.

Kalil told CNN that she has been hunting reptiles professionally since 2017. Siewe she was hired in 2019.

Together, she killed over 1,000 pythons. Kalil over her 670, Siewe

They share a love of creatures, but understand the importance of this challenge. “Hunters are the best way to solve this problem at the moment,” he said.

Growing up in Florida, Khalil said that when she went to the Everglades as a child, she "had more rabbits than I could count." Fast forward to the 2000s when Kalil said there were very few rabbits, possums, and raccoons thanks to pythons.

In last year's challenge, Kalil claimed she got rid of the most pythons at age 19. Won a prize of $2,500. She has been participating since her 2013.

Siewe will be in her third year this year. Her first year was second in heaviest snake.

The two hunt based on factors such as weather, time of day, and sleep schedule. “The best time to go out at this time of year is at night,” said Khalil.

And hunting is not easy.

Siewe has been bitten by pythons numerous times throughout her career, but it is not recommended.

"It's like cutting butter with a knife," she explained Siewe. Siewe says pythons are not venomous, but they do have hundreds of razor-sharp teeth.

Creatures can grow to enormous sizes, and dealing with them is a feat. Siewe said her largest catch was 17 feet 110 pounds and while standing she was 5 feet 4. "In my career, I've had four escapes," she said. "It can be difficult at night in the water and in the weeds." DeSantis is an avid fan of the Python Snake Challenge. In his June press release, he said:

In fact, his wife, Casey DeSantis, said at a press conference on Friday that her 10th anniversary gift to the governor was her pair of python-skin boots. .