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Posted on 07/26/2025 12:05:05 PM PDT by NautiNurse
Scientists at the University of Florida are deploying the so-called “robo-bunnies” throughout South Florida in hopes of drawing Burmese pythons out of their hiding places so they can be euthanized, reports Kimberly Miller for the Palm Beach Post. By luring the pythons to the rabbit look-alikes, biologists can save time that might otherwise be spent searching through the swamp for the snakes.
The animatronic rabbits are outfitted with motors and internal heaters that are designed to replicate the behaviors and body temperatures of live marsh rabbits (Sylvilagus palustris), which Burmese pythons love to eat.
The South Florida Water Management District is funding the robotic rabbit experiment, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has paid for related research in the past.
[Snip]
In the past, researchers have experimented with placing live rabbits in pens in a bid to attract the invasive serpents in Everglades National Park. The live rabbits were indeed effective at luring the snakes, drawing in about one per week, but caring for and managing the small mammals was labor-intensive.
“If we can see a statistically significant number of pythons that are coming to investigate these robotic rabbits and the pens, that would be a success, because right now, pythons do a great job of staying hidden,” says Mike Kirkland, lead invasive animal biologist for the South Florida Water Management District, to WINK-TV’s Bridget Bruchalski.
“If that python is detected, then it contacts someone like myself, who’s available 24 hours a day, and then I can deploy one of our many contractors to go remove it,” Kirkland tells WINK-TV.
If the initial experiment fails to attract pythons, the scientists plan to run a second round of tests with realistic rabbit scents added to the mechanical creatures.
[Snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at smithsonianmag.com ...
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Interesting phrase “so they can be euthanized” We always just called it killing snakes or killing vermin.
I’ve got blueprints to turn the house into an alligator Alcatraz. Not screwin’ around with no pythons.
Or better yet, design them to explode when their outer layer is bitten into to, or digested.
Caught that description too. Must be the style for Smithsonian. Otherwise, “humanely killed” is often used.
On YOUTUBE they call it.......UNLIVE someone.
“That’s no ordinary rabbit!”
Doxxing Bunny
That’s what I thought.
High tech decoy. I wonder how long the batteries last.
"I'm just a harmless squirrel, not a plastic explosive or anything..."
“Look at the BONES, lad!!”
Your proposed method is not selective for pythons, and definitely increases cost to maintain the supply of robo-bunnies.
Bounty Structure
The bounty system offers financial incentives for python hunters based on the size of the snakes they capture:
Python Size Bounty Amount
Under 4 feet (1.2m) $50
Each additional foot $25
Active python nest $200
Declare open season on pythons (and other invasives) everywhere.
Place a bounty high enough to justify full-time work for some hunters and an enjoyable, profitable weekend side-gig for others.
As hunters become effective, kills will drop so increase the bounties enough to keep the same number of hunters out in the great outdoors.
Call the grounds keeper from Caddyshack.
Make em with pop-open knives....
I kill them humanely, either with a hoe or a .45 Cal.
These laser equipped sharks will kill the Everglades pythons. Drop these sharks into the Everglades.
Here’s an idea. Feral cats when turned in to shelters are usually euthanized after a week. Why not neuter them, feed them nothing but python meat for two weeks and then release them in the Everglades. Cats are wily hunters, will get into python nests and will hold their own against python adults.
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