Flanked by an enormous writhing snake, Gov. Ron DeSantis introduced on Thursday that the annual prize-winning hunt for invasive Burmese pythons within the Florida Everglades will start Aug. 5.
Folks should register to take part and full a web-based coaching course for the occasion, which generally attracts a whole bunch from throughout the nation. Final yr’s “Python Challenge” concerned greater than 600 individuals from 25 states, DeSantis mentioned at a information convention within the Everglades.
SHOCKING: Widespread Meals Linked to Age-Associated Reminiscence Loss [sponsored]
Behind the Republican governor, it took three individuals to carry a stay, 10-foot (3-meter) feminine python as an illustration.
The snakes have just about no pure enemies within the Everglades and have decimated native populations of mammals, birds and different reptiles.
“These pythons are a threat to the Everglades,” DeSantis mentioned. “Let’s reel in some pythons.”
The hunt begins Aug. 5 at 8 a.m. and ends Aug. 14 at 5 p.m. Prizes embody $2,500 for probably the most pythons captured and $1,500 for the longest snake. Final yr, the first-prize winner captured 223 pythons, whereas the $1,500 winner bagged a snake that was greater than 15 ft (4.5 meters) lengthy. Snakes should be killed humanely.
DeSantis mentioned this yr’s state price range consists of $3 million particularly for python elimination within the Everglades, together with expertise resembling infrared sensors to find the hard-to-see snakes within the wild.
A key level of the snake occasion, the governor mentioned, is to lift consciousness in regards to the menace and allow individuals to participate.
“We view this as a challenge,” he mentioned. “We really wanted to supercharge those efforts.”
The place Ought to We Mail Your E book? [sponsored]
The Related Press contributed to this text.
Learn the total article here
