The Burmese python is a huge problem for Florida. Ever since the first ones were either released by pet owners or escaped from a snake breeding facility, the Everglades have been under attack from these huge serpents with no natural predators. This is where the state's full-time python hunters earn their keep. Python Cowboy on YouTube is one of the more notable hunters, having wrangled up huge snakes longer than 15 feet in the past. In today's video he's checking a series of islands for signs of python activity. It's tough work, sometimes requiring them to crawl on their hands and knees through the thick undergrowth. They are reliant on their dog to check every square inch for any signs of the invaders.
This is the Cowboy's lucky day though. Because they stumble upon a full-grown female snake that's protecting a massive clutch of 49 eggs. Locating the nest was the easy part. After that comes the tricky task of capturing the female, who dramatically defends her nest. Fortunately, the snake hunter finally captures her and puts her in a bag. From there he can raid the nest and start counting. Let us warn you there is some language in the video.
This is the kind of scenario most of Florida's professional snake hunters love to find themselves in. Mainly because the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission offers extra incentives for finding breeding age females, and more for egg clutches. With 49 eggs on this nest, that's a ton of native birds, reptiles, rodents, and possibly even deer and alligators saved from the invading pythons.
Python hunting looks like hard work. It's not easy to tromp through the swamps and thickets like that in search of these snakes. Kudos to these guys for putting in the extra time and effort to find and eradicate these invaders. It's probably slow going due to the foothold the snakes already have on Florida, but every little bit helps in a sensitive ecosystem like the Everglades.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Instagram For original videos, check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
