Florida Burmese Pythons Now Spotted In National Wildlife Refuge
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The last stronghold of the northern Florida Everglades – an emerald-strewn area west of Palm Beach County – had reported first sightings of invasive pythons this fall when the parasite slits north.
Biologists have long suspected that the snake of destruction lies in the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refugee after python DNA was discovered in the reserve’s freshwater circuit.
But as recently as late October, invasive plant control contractors for the South Florida Water Authority set their sights on one of the voracious species, adding two other unverified but “credible” sightings. trust”.
“Unfortunately, we ended up seeing a Burmese python inside the site,” said University of Florida wildlife professor Frank Mazzotti, who leads the Croc Docs research team in Fort Lauderdale. Haven.
Mike Kirkland, an invasive animal biologist with the water district, said he is meeting with shelter officials this week to discuss how they should best combat a possible python attack. visible early.
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Besides attempting to capture the python, the best thing to do is to report sightings of the python immediately so that a rapid response unit can be dispatched to capture the python.
“We knew they were in hiding but didn’t get to see them, and once you start seeing them, it’s a sign that the population is growing,” Kirkland said. “The fact that we’ve had a few sightings recently leads me to believe there’s more out there.”
The district contracts with the University of Florida for emergency help with invasive species, including the most recent python sighting in the refuge.
“We responded within a few hours but it was gone,” Mazzotti said. “If you see a python rushing in and if you don’t get there quickly, you’ll miss it.”
The refuge is 144,000 acres of tree and sawgrass islands, cattail sands and cypress swamps and patches of mud that stretch like fluid beds through it all. Most shelters are only accessible by plane or helicopter, making quick response nearly impossible.
In other parts of South Florida, pythons are commonly encountered as they bask in the sun on levees that run through wetland areas or when they are spotted by hunters driving along levees. At night. But no dike runs through the bowels of the Lox Refuge.
“It was like finding a needle in a haystack,” says Kirkland of keeping a python in a hiding place.
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A US Geological Survey study published online in March 2019 said it had found evidence of a “resident python population” in the refuge.
USGS scientist Margaret Hunter tested the water throughout the shelter for python DNA between 2014 and 2016, finding a number of positive samples that “matched the expected pattern for the population.” resident python.”
Hunter, who worked with several other USGS researchers on the project, said most of the country that tested positive for python DNA was near the center of the refuge, where people would be less likely more solid detection.
A 10-foot python was found on a levee near the southeastern side of the hideout in 2016, and the python has been seen in parking lots near the hideout, but it’s unclear if the snake has matured. how it looks.
In September 2019, the water district announced a new element of their python hunting program, which is nearly double the pay to contractors willing to patrol the refuge.
Hunters can make $15 an hour at the hideout compared to $10 in other parts of South Florida. Hunters also receive an incentive payment of $50 for each python 4 feet or more and an additional $25 for each python over 4 feet long.
About 5,250 pythons have been removed by county hunters since the program began in March 2017. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission hunters have captured an additional 3,385 pythons.
“We don’t expect them to catch a lot of pythons because the populations in the refuge are very low compared to other project areas,” Kirkland said of why the district increased shelter payments. “We wanted to keep it that way, and that’s why we created an extra incentive for contractors to service that area.”