Posted on 07/29/2015 8:55:56 AM PDT by nickcarraway
National Park Service officials say they captured a Burmese python over 18 feet long along a popular wildlife-watching trail in Everglades National Park.
The 18-foot-3-inch python was caught July 9 along the tram road at Shark Valley in the park. The paved loop is used by cyclists and trams taking visitors on wildlife tours through the wetlands.
Park officials tell WFOR-TV in Miami that a python researcher caught the female snake, which was euthanized.
According to state wildlife officials, the longest python ever caught in Florida was 18 feet 8 inches long.
Pythons are not native to Florida, where scientists say the snakes are devouring native wildlife. According to researchers, a python that's 18 feet long is capable of ingesting large prey such as deer or alligators.
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Euthanized? Hopefully with one swing of a machete rather than some injection!
Article said the snake was euthanized, but if it was done before or after the photo was taken isn’t made clear.
#snakelivesmatter
The snake may have been heavily (and I mean HEAVILY!) tranquilized for the vanity photo, because the body still looks full and undistorted by any bullet or hacking. Now we will need to find an animal that feeds on big strong snakes, but has no urge to leave the swamplands.
While this does not answer the question about the photo, from another article:
This snake was captured by a permitted python researcher who regularly works in Everglades National Park.
Burmese pythons are an invasive reptile with no natural predators, which appear to be wiping out most of the small mammals that once thrived in Everglades National Park.
The best news about this snake, according to park officials, is that it was removed from the wild which helps protect the diverse wildlife in Everglades National Park.
After the snake was captured, National Park Service and US Geological Survey interns who work on invasive species control projects, including python removal, were allowed to handle the snake to help them gain confidence and experience.
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I would think the interns were handling a live snake to be a useful experience. We had an 11 foot Burmese python in our college apartment. It was fun to go to parties with the snake draped over three of our shoulders as we walked in the door.
“Park officials tell WFOR-TV in Miami that a python researcher caught the female snake, which was euthanized.”
Did he vote for Romney also?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3318161/posts
I saw a NatGeo show about that a few months ago.
It has already happened.
They are very aggressive, and very large.
I had an 11-12 foot Burmese Python in MY college apartment.
My roommate got it from a stripper.
I canoed, hiked, swam and camped all over the everglades and Big Cypress when I was a kid back in the 70’s. There’s no way in heck I’d ever consider doing that again with these things on the loose.
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