Hunters remove at least 102 pythons from Everglades

Florida’s Burmese python hunters are getting more efficient, taking more of the damaging species out of the Everglades this year than in 2013 — when the state held the first hunt.

At least 102 snakes were removed from the wild by 1,060 hunters during the 2016 Python Challenge. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will announce the final numbers on Feb. 27 at the Long Key Natural Area and Nature Center in Davie.

Thousands of dollars will be given to winners of several categories — largest snake and most collected— in professional and amateur classes.

Burmese pythons have been living in the historic Everglades for at least two decades, establishing breeding populations and spreading throughout South Florida’s state and federal preserves and parks.

These snakes can grow to 20 feet and eat and compete with endangered and threatened native species.

The 2013 hunt drew more than 1,600 hunters, who captured and killed 68 snakes. That hunt felt more like a traveling outdoors circus, with media from Europe, Canada and Asia following hunters brandishing everything from pistols to shotguns to machetes and electric screwdrivers.

Hunters The News-Press interviewed in recent weeks seemed more concerned about helping the ecological system than securing an exotic trophy.

They talked about helping the Everglades while humanely removing the snakes from the wild. Some people who hunted this year didn’t hunt in 2013 because they didn’t want to kill the snakes — a requirement then.

This year, though, hunters could capture the snakes, double-bag them, put them in a labeled, heavy-duty box and drop the live snakes off at state hunt check stations.

Another positive is the growing market for Burmese pythons caught in the Everglades. Brian Wood, owner of All American Alligator in Hollywood, makes everything from Chuck Taylor style tennis shoes to full-length python skin pants.

He buys from hunters, paying $50 to $100, depending on the size and condition of the skin.

While these large constrictors are thriving in the Everglades, this species is actually endangered in most of its home range in Southeast Asia. Biologists there breed and release the snakes in hopes of rebuilding the shrinking population.

Here, the snakes eat animals as least as adult alligators, which puts them on top of the food chain.

Smaller snakes are caught and eaten by native wildlife. Humans are the only animals capable of killing these invasive species once they reach 10 feet.

The state has not yet announced plans for a 2017 hunt, however, killing a Burmese python in the wild is legal year-round.

Hunters with proper permits can capture and transport live snakes.

— Compiled by Chad Gillis