Hunting the world’s largest python + video

According to the environmental reporter of Fars news agency, snake hunters in the US state of Florida released a video of the moments of hunting a Burmese python of 5 meters and 80 centimeters.

This giant snake, caught by a 22-year-old man, weighs 56 kg. The python was killed because it is an invasive species in Florida. Southwest Florida conservation officials consider pythons to be native to Asia and an invasive species in South Florida. The state therefore allows hunters to hunt or kill snakes that harm local wildlife, such as raccoons and bobcats.

This snake is one of the largest snakes on the planet. The Burmese python (scientific name: Python bivittatus) is one of the largest species of snakes and native to a large area of ​​Southeast Asia, which is listed as vulnerable on the Red List (IUCN). This python was considered a subspecies of the Indian python until 2009, but is now recognized as a distinct species.

The Burmese python has become a predator of many other animals, especially the white-tailed deer, which is found in forested areas throughout the United States; Because the population of deer is decreasing, and this issue has also endangered the Florida mountain lion, which feeds on deer. The Florida mountain lion, a subspecies of the mountain lion (another state animal of Florida), is now endangered.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Society runs an annual summer campaign to encourage people to hunt pythons in exchange for money. The state of Florida is looking for new ways to improve the python identification process; Because these snakes are very skilled in camouflage and living in remote areas. They try many ways to control this animal.

In the 1980s, the pet trade industry introduced pythons into the Everglades; But the sale of these snakes was declared illegal in 2012. People who bought pythons often did not know how to care for them once they were grown. In this context, most people decided to release the snakes into the wild. The Burmese python has since supplanted the Florida-native alligator as the top predator in the Everglades.

Burmese pythons are in danger of extinction in parts of Southeast Asia; But the snakes that have found their way to Florida cannot be returned to their original home; Because these snakes are genetically adapted to their new environment. As pythons have taken over more territory, populations of raccoons, rabbits, shrews, birds, alligators, deer, and leopards have declined in the wetlands. One of the researchers says that pythons are amazing animals; But they are the worst possible problem for the Everglades.

The Everglades region, comprising 1.5 million acres of land in south and southwest Florida, is a unique freshwater ecosystem surrounded by tall grasses and a slow-moving river in the wet season. Among the habitats of this area, we can mention cypress swamps, wet meadows, and mangrove forests. A large variety of different species of birds, mammals, reptiles and plants can be found in this area.

The Burmese python is just one of the factors that endangers this valuable area. Water pollution, sea level rise and development of cities along with other invasive species such as tegu lizard and sugar cane toad are other threatening factors.

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