The python challenge in Florida gives out awards to hunters who capture pythons. It hasn't done much to reduce the impact of the species on the environment.
Mary Louise Kelly is the host.
Hundreds of thousands of pythons are slithering through the Florida swamp. There were 970 hunters who signed up for the challenge. The python is one of the most troublesome invaders in Florida. According to Greg Allen, python hunters say they are making a difference.
Donna Kalil just brought in her catch at a python check station in Miami and handed it over to Holly.
Holly, where did you find him?
There was a big cypress close to Burns Lake.
The little guy isANDREOTTA.
He's a small guy.
The time of year when pythons leave the nest is this time of year. The one that is just a few months old is over two feet in length. About a hundred contractors are paid year-round to find and eliminate the pythons. She brought in the most snakes in the professional category of the python challenge.
I knew that I could help. I have been catching snakes for a long time. I followed in my brothers' footsteps.
Kalil is proud of what she has done. She's brought in more than 600 pythons so far, working mostly at night in her SUV with a specially designed python perch mounted on top.
Two volunteers are sitting up there. We just drive along because I have all the lights. Once we see a python, someone yells, python. I stopped the car, got out, and grabbed it by the neck and started wrestling.
Kalil says it's a good time to hunt pythons. They're on the move and you might see a big one crossing a road.
I got a 16 foot one. Three of us were taken for a ride. I grabbed it by the neck and held onto it. She jumped on it. We wore that thing out until we could get it under control. It was a large fight.
It's not known how pythons became established in Florida, but they've been here for about 30 years. The hunter who brings in the most pythons will win $10,000. The Python Elimination Program for the South Florida Water Management District may not be able to eliminate them from the environment anymore.
"We might be past the point for full eradication, but I'm very optimistic that we are going to be able to reduce the population enough so that our native wildlife can come back."
How many pythons are in Florida is still not known. They're difficult to spot in the wild, and most of the thousands of square miles of the Everglades are accessible by air boat. Human detection and removal is the best way to fight pythons. Some small mammals that were wiped out by the snakes have begun to come back. There is a hatchling at the check station. Vila believes that he and other hunters are reducing the population of pythons.
On the other day, we saw about eight deer. Some of the other guys that have been out here have not seen that many in a long time. It's making a difference.
Over the last two decades, more than 17,000 pythons have been removed from Allen. If we knew how many pythons were out there, that would be good news. Greg Allen is a reporter for NPR.
"DeDICATION" is a song by Vanity Worthy.
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