Bob's World with Bob Moro
_____________
Pythons - A Wildlife Issue of our Time
It was quiet in the Everglades, and the wary, adult 75lb white-tailed deer was alert to any dangers as it foraged for food. But it didn’t hear the 18 foot long 215 lb Burmese python as it slithered onto its path. Suddenly, the python wrapped itself around the cautious critter and pulled it to the ground. Trapped, the terrified deer watched helplessly as the snake maneuvered it jaws to its face. The python’s lower jawbone is not fused to the upper jaw like other creatures; extending its gape a stunning 30 centimeters, and it slowly began to swallow the deer. The neck skin of a python can stretch like a rubber band, and even though the deer’s chest was the size of a car tire, it disappeared into the snake’s body. Another wildlife crime scene.
“Watching an invasive apex predator swallow a full-sized deer in front of you is something that you will never forget,” says Ian Bartoszek, Python Project Manager for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. “The impact the Burmese python is having on native wildlife cannot be denied. This is a wildlife issue of our time for the greater Everglades ecosystem.” In a recent press conference, Bartozek noted that a 10 lb. Python they caught was digesting a 6lb fawn. “Let that sink in for a moment,” he added.
Pythons have been observed in Florida since the 1930’s, but it wasn’t until 1979 when they started showing up in increasing numbers in the Everglades National Park. Most were Burmese pythons imported from Southeast Asia as part of our state’s booming exotic pet trade. Nearby Miami is the American hub for the industry. And what do owners do when it becomes too hard to care for them? They set them free into the Everglades. Their population got a boost in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew devastated south Florida, destroying a python breeding center, and freeing hundreds into the wild. By then scientists confirmed that they were a reproducing population in south Florida.
From there it was a short step to catastrophic declines in indigenous wildlife in the Everglades. Pythons eat pretty much everything that crosses their path, and current estimates show a 90% decline in medium sized mammals there. 99.3% of raccoons, 98.9% of opossums, and 87.5% of bobcats are gone. Marsh rabbits, cottontails, and foxes are considered locally extinct in many python-dominated areas. I haven’t seen any “Save the Key Largo Woodrats!” bumper stickers, but this nationally endangered species is being wiped out. Pythons also prey heavily on birds and other reptiles, including alligators.
These creatures are resilient and grow quickly-about 7’ per year, reducing their vulnerability to other predators; and a 10-year US Geological Survey beginning in 2001 discovered evidence of hybrid evolution making smaller and faster pythons. Females breed every other year, averaging 43 eggs per clutch. But the python that ate the hapless deer, the largest one removed during Bartozek’s 13 year removal project, had a clutch of 122 eggs ready to lay.
Their life span is about 20 years; making Bartozek’s monster capable of producing more than 1200 babies in its lifetime. Pythons can exist without food for four to six weeks at a time. A 2014 study showed that pythons have navigational ability and compass senses, so they are aware of their surroundings and can plan their travels accordingly. They can swim in salt water, ever increasing their habitat.
The Everglades has been under attack by urbanization, and a profoundly misguided decision to kill off 75% of this ecologically critical swamp by damning off rivers and killing the “River of Grass” to make room for agriculture, cattle farms and development. The environmental impact has been devastating. And what’s left of the Everglades is surrounded by and interspersed with urbanized areas that are particularly vulnerable to infestations of exotic species. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) told me that Burmese pythons are currently considered established from just south of Lake Okeechobee to Key Largo and from western Broward County west to Collier County. Any pythons found outside of those areas are likely escaped or released captive animals.
It’s hard to count pythons; they can be difficult to find due to their cryptic nature and ability to blend in with their surroundings, so the best estimates on the number slithering through the Everglades ranges wildly from 30,000 to more than 300,000. Since 2000, more than 23,000 pythons have been captured and removed under the auspices of FWC and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). Bartozek’s project alone pulls over two tons of pythons each season just from a small (roughly 100 square mile} section of the Everglades. They often use radio transmitters embedded in male “scout” pythons, and track them to the females they seek. “One of our scouts led us to four females; that makes him our MVP-Most Valuable Python,” Bartozek announced.
“Hunting season” is a year round effort managed by FWC that includes voluntary and state-sponsored programs. In 2013 FWC initiated the10-day “Florida Python Challenge,” and it became an annual event in 2020. But anyone can hunt them 365 days a year, without a hunting license, permits, or bag limits. FWC also manages a program that hires python hunters under their guidance. Pythons can be humanely hunted and killed on public and private land with the owner’s permission, if that’s your cup of tea. Additionally, Executive Order 23-16 allows for the lethal take of pythons and other nonnative reptiles from 32 Commission-managed lands year-round using humane and legal methods.
FWC recommends that people new to removing Burmese pythons attend one of the FWC’s free, online Python Patrol training’s, which teach people how to correctly identify Burmese pythons, distinguish them from native species, show how to hunt them, and safe capture and humane killing methods. They are offered every third Thursday of the month and are free for anyone to attend: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/python/patrol/
FWC doesn’t require people to report when they have humanely killed a Burmese python, but encourages reports of sightings to assist them in tracking distribution of the species, and inform them of response efforts and management actions. Burmese pythons are a prohibited species in Florida and cannot be transported live without a permit. For residents that spot a Burmese python but are not able to capture and humanely kill it, they ask that they report the sighting, along with the exact location and photos, to their Invasive Species Hotline at 888-Ive-Got1 (483-4681). More information can be found at https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/python/removing/ Information on proper removal and humane killing protocols can be found at: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/python/humane-killing-methods/.
Florida banned the importation of Burmese pythons on January 1, 2012. There are differing studies on how far and wide the python invasion can spread, but the US Geological Service (USGS) says that by the end of this century they could occupy up to 1/3 of the continental United States. A subsequent study suggests that their aversion to cold weather could limit their expansion to south Florida and extreme southern Texas.
No one knows for sure. Climate Change eradication of the population across the landscape is not possible with existing tools, the study said. However, researchers at USGS and partner institutions are exploring novel techniques like genetic bio-control, that may one day provide an avenue towards larger-scale population suppression. Florida is highly susceptible to nonnative and invasive fish and wildlife due to our subtropical climate, multiple ports of entry and the burgeoning live animal trade here. It’s a Florida thing.
More than 600 nonnative species have been reported in Florida, with at least 139 “established” in Florida and reproducing in the wild. Efforts are underway to counter this through regulatory action.
“Eradication (of pythons) does seem to be off the table, but we’re working to figure it out,” Ian Bartozek explained. “They’re expanding apex predators. They’re adapting to the Everglades environment. We fear what we don’t understand. The freeze events seem to knock them back, but they are resilient-using gopher tortoise and armadillo burrows to escape the cold. Don’t underestimate the python.”
Past Commander Bob Moro AP
Fort Myers Power Squadron-America’s Boating Club
