The brown-spotted snake can grow to several meters in length and threatens the native wildlife. In 2017, it became such a big problem that the authorities in Florida began to hire snake hunters. With the help of these, 11,000 python snakes were eliminated just last year.
In support of the professional snake hunters, there is the annual Florida Python Challenge. The competition started on Friday and will last for ten days. In addition to thousands of dollars in prize money, awards of various kinds are at stake, reports the AP news agency.
Last year's competition led to the capture of 209 reptiles. The finest prize went to Paul Hobbs, who single-handedly caught 20 snakes.
Harmful to the Environment
The competition also aims to raise awareness about the impact of invasive species.
It's about well-established invasive species that unfortunately exist over much of southern Florida, says Sarah Funck at the Florida Commission for the Conservation of Wildlife and Plants to AP.
The competition is largely about getting people to understand more about these issues and realize that you shouldn't – whatever the purpose may be – release species that don't belong here because they can be very harmful to our environment.
Besides the snakes, there are others who do not appreciate the hunt.
Amy Siewe, known by her alias Python Huntress, believes that the hunt does more harm than good. Siewe, who previously participated and won a prize for catching the longest specimen (3.27 meters), will not participate in the hunt this year.
Kills Innocent Snakes
She means that all the fuss around the hunt scares off the intended prey, which deviates from its usual behavior patterns. The lively traffic of people makes the snakes retreat and hide in the marshes.
In my opinion, it's counterproductive, says Siewe to AP.
Moreover, many ignorant people are out in the fields, Siewe believes. They risk mistaking the python snake and killing other, non-invasive snake species such as the corn snake and the water moccasin.
