Pythons Overrunning The Florida Everglades
Taressa George
The Florida Everglades is rapidly becoming overrun with Burmese Pythons. Estimated numbers of these snakes in the Everglades range from 5,000 to over 100,000 and is rapidly growing. Since there are no known natural predators for these snakes, the challenge is on to prevent them from spreading. The Nature Conservancy in Florida launched a Python Patrol in 2008 of over 400 trained responders who can safely and humanely capture and remove these and other constricting snakes. Since 2002, over 2000 of them have been removed. Products made from these predators range from shoes, clothes and handbags to "Everglades Pizzas" made with python meat.
Do you know of any tanneries in Florida who can help make use of the pythons? What do you suggest the State of Florida do to solve this ecological problem and prevent it from continuing?