FWC / SFWMD announce milestone in restoring Everglades: 5,000 Burmese pythons removed
“We’ve learned through the Python Challenge that experience counts when finding and removing Burmese pythons,” said FWC Commissioner Rodney Barreto. “We can’t win the battle alone. It’s one team, one mission. We need the support of these experienced python hunters as well as the partnership with the South Florida Water Management District and the ongoing support of Gov. Ron DeSantis.”
PHOTO CAPTION: On July 26, FWC Python Action Team member Kevin Reich captured this 83 pounda and 11 ounces, 17’ 9” female Burmese python snake from the wild at Big Cypress National Preserve in the south Florida Everglades. This invasive constrictor is the second-largest python ever to be removed by the FWC, and only three inches shorter than the program’s largest python, captured last December. FWC photo by Robert Edman.
“Another win for the Everglades," said SFWMD Governing Board Member “Alligator Ron” Bergeron. "This is what agencies like the South Florida Water Management District and the FWC, focused and working together, can accomplish. Every snake counts. Each invasive python eliminated represents hundreds of native Florida wildlife saved.”
The public can help control nonnative invasive wildlife by reporting sightings to the FWC’s Exotic Species Hotline at 888-IveGot1 (888-483-4681), online at IveGot1.org or by using the free smartphone app IVEGOT1. If possible, take a picture and note the exact location of the sighting. Python Action Team and Python Elimination Program members respond to reports of large constrictors and other priority species to remove these harmful invaders from the wild.
Burmese pythons became established in Florida as a result of escaped or released pets. It is illegal to release nonnative species into the wild and can negatively impact Florida’s native wildlife and habitat. Don’t let it loose! The FWC’s Exotic Pet Amnesty Program allows pet owners to surrender nonnative or exotic pets without penalty. Visit MyFWC.com/PetAmnesty for more information.
To learn more about the FWC’s Python Action Team and the SFWMD’s Python Elimination Program, visit https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/python/pickup/.