Hunting Burmese Pythons by Helicopter

FOR JOINING US. RESEARCHERS AT THE CONSERVANCY OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA SAY THEY HAULED IN A RECORD AMOUNT OF BURMESE PYTHONS FROM COLLIER COUNTY THIS SEASON. THE PYTHON TEAMS USED TRACKING DEVICES ERA POWER AND BOOTS ON THE GROUND TO FIND THE ELUSIVE APEX PREDATORS. STEAK EXPERTS SAY THEY REMOVED MORE THAN 4 TONS OF PYTHONS FROM THE EVERGLADES. DURING THE BREEDING SEASON FROM NOVEMBER OF 2025. THROUGH APRIL OF 2026. THE GOAL OF THE PROGRAM IS TO REMOVE THE SNAKES, THEN CONDUCT RESEARCH TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEM AND THEIR ACTIVITY IN OUR AREA. IT. >> AND BART IS AT THE BIOLOGIST WITH THE CONSERVANCY OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. >> JOINS US NOW. AND YOU ACTUALLY ARE STAKE EXPERT. >> AND YOU REALLY CREATED THIS RESEARCH AND REMOVAL PROGRAM THAT HAS LED TO THE REMOVAL OF A RECORD AMOUNT OF PYTHONS SINCE 2013. YES. COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT HOW THIS PROGRAM GOT STARTED? SURE, THIS HAS BEEN QUITE AN ADVENTURE FOR OVER THE LAST DECADE. WE'VE BEEN. >> BUSY OUT IN THE WILDS OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. LEARNING MORE ABOUT THIS INVASIVE APEX PREDATOR THAT WE NOW HAVE HERE IN FLORIDA. AND THIS LAST SEASON. FAST FORWARD, OUR TEAM HIT A MILESTONE. WE'RE WE REMOVE 4 TONS OF INVASIVE BURMESE PYTHON FOR PEOPLE OVER THE COURSE OF 6 MONTHS. AND PRIMARILY UTILIZING OUR MAIL SCOUT SNAKES. THOSE ARE ADULT MALE BURMESE PYTHONS. THAT WE FIT WITH RADIO TRANSMITTERS. FEARS THAT TRANSMIT HERE. AND THESE ARE SURGICALLY IMPLANTED. WE CAN TO CAPTURE THOSE ANIMALS. WE PUT THEM BACK ON THE LANDSCAPE AND THEN WE PLAY THIS ONE-SIDED GAME OF HIDE AND SEEK DURING THE BREEDING SEASON FOR PYTHONS. AND THAT GETS US VERY CLOSE TO THESE LARGE FEMALE BURMESE PYTHONS. AND THAT'S OUR TARGET. THEIR HIGH VALUE TARGETS. THEY ARE FILLED WITH EGGS AND WE LIKE TO CATCH THE SNAKES AND REMOVE THEM HUMANELY FROM THE LANDSCAPE BEFORE THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO CATCHING PYTHONS. AND THIS IS A WILDLIFE ISSUE OF OUR TIME FOR SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. THIS INVASIVE SPECIES IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CONSUMING ON 86 SPECIES OF NATIVE WILDLIFE HERE IN FLORIDA. AND IT IS A GENERALIST APEX PREDATOR AND IT IS A THREAT TO OUR NATIVE WILDLIFE AND YOU SPECIFICALLY TARGET THE FEMALES, CORRECT? OR WE DON'T DISCRIMINATE. WE WILL. WE WILL TARGET ANY BURMESE PYTHONS. BUT I WOULD SAY THAT THE FEMALES ARE ALL PYTHON CAPTURES ARE CREATED EQUAL IN MY OPINION, CATCHING A SMALL HATCHLING THAT MAYBE 95% OF THESE WON'T MAKE IT TO ADULTHOOD IS NOT THE PRIMARY TARGET. WE ARE LOOKING FOR, I GUESS THE DISTRIBUTORS, IF YOU WILL, THE REPRODUCTIVE LEE ACTED FEMALES THAT ARE CAPABLE OF LAYING A CLUTCH OF EGGS OVER. EVERY SEASON AND THOSE EGG CLUTCHES AVERAGE. 46 HATCHLINGS IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. BUT WE HAVE SEEN EVERYWHERE FROM A DOZEN EGGS TO 122 EGGS. AND THEN FROM THIS SIZE, I BROUGHT SOME OF THE VISUAL AIDS HERE. >> THERE'S OUR TEENAGE SNAKE YESTERDAY SAYS A READ ABOUT A SUB ADULT. SO A TEENAGER, AS YOU MENTIONED. >> AND THIS IS THE SIZE THAT ARE MORE OFTEN SEEN CROSSING ROADS OR THIS IS MAYBE THE SEARCH IMAGE YOU MIGHT WANT TO PUT IN YOUR MIND AS IF YOU WERE TO SEE ONE OF THESE ANIMALS AND MOST OF OUR NATIVE SNAKES DON'T REACH THIS SIZE. SO IF YOU'RE SEEING A VERY LARGE PATTERNED ANIMAL, MAYBE THE WITH OF YOUR ARM AND THERE'S NO RATTLE ON THE TAIL, GOOD CHANCE IS A BURMESE PYTHON. AND SO WHAT YOU WOULD WANT TO DO IS STAY CALM. THEY'RE NOT INTERESTED IN US. THEY JUST WANT TO GET AWAY AND DO WHAT THEY DO. BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO TAKE A PICTURE. AND THEN THERE IS A HOTLINE THAT YOU CAN CALL 8, 8, 8, I'VE GOT ONE THAT IS MONITORED BY THE FWC FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION. AND THEY WILL DISPATCH A RESPONDER THAT HOTLINE IS ONLY OPEN FROM CERTAIN HOURS, 8 TO 5 MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NOT REALLY PYTHON HOURS, BUT THERE IS RESPONSE CAPABILITIES AFTER THAT. SO I WOULD SAY IF YOU'RE 100% SURE IT'S A BURMESE PYTHON AND YOU'RE POSITIVELY ID DID AND YOU CAN STAY NEARBY AND POINT TO WHERE IT WENT. ONE RESPONDER COMES DEFINITELY CALL THAT IN OR AFTER HOURS, MAYBE CALL 9-1-1 AND GET THAT RESPONSE GOING. AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THEY CAMOUFLAGE THEMSELVES SO WELL THAT IT'S >> DIFFICULT EVEN FOR. >> EXPERTS TO REALLY IDENTIFY THEM. SO I CAN TELL YOU FROM ALL THE TIME WE SPENT IN THE FIELD RADIO TRACKING THESE ANIMALS THAT EVEN WITH A INTERNAL TRANSMIT OR LIKE THESE THAT ARE PAINTING IT. AND WE HAVE A DIRECTIONAL ANTENNA THAT ALLOWS US TO PLAY THIS. ONE-SIDED GAME OF HIDE AND SEEK OR HOT AND COLD, IF YOU WILL. AND I POINT MY ANTENNA CLOSER WHERE THAT SNAKE IS, THE PEEPS ARE LOUDER. SO WOULD BE LIKE HOT. MY POINT OF THE ANTENNA HERE COLD. SO WE PLAY THAT HOT COLD GAME AND EVEN KNOWING THAT THE SNAKE IS NEARBY OR SOME OF OUR MALE SNAKES OR 60 POUNDS, 13 FEET, IF YOU'D ALMOST BE IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE THEM IF THERE'S DENSE COVER. SO VERY REMARKABLE ANIMALS. THAT'S THE THAT'S THE AIR. ANOTHER CAN OTHER SITTING HOURS THAT ARE POWERED, CORRECT. AND SO IT'S A FORMIDABLE ADVERSARY. BUT I SAY THAT WITH RESPECT BECAUSE BEAUTIFUL CREATURES IN THEIR NATIVE RANGE OF SOUTHEAST ASIA, THEY'RE THEY'RE CONSIDERED VULNERABLE. SO THEY ARE. LIKELY MORE PYTHONS IN SOUTH FLORIDA. THEN THERE ARE REMAINING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. DON'T KNOW THAT PERSONALLY, BUT IF THEY HAVE A VULNERABLE STATUS AND OUR 7 DAY SAYS SPECIES STATUS, THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE. WE HAVE A LARGER POPULATION AND THAT POPULATION ESTIMATE IS A BIG QUESTION. MARK. NOBODY CAN GIVE A STRAIGHT ANSWER. AND SO THAT'S WHY THE RESEARCH AND REMOVALS IMPORTANT IF YOU'RE GOING TO TRY TO MANAGE THE SPECIES, YOU HAVE TO IF THE KNOW WHAT YOU'RE UP AGAINST. SO THAT'S WHY THOSE NUMBERS MATTER. AND I CAN TELL YOU, YES, WE REMOVED 177 PYTHONS THE SEASON OVER 8,000 POUNDS, 4 TONS OF SNAKE. BUT THAT WAS FROM A PRETTY SMALL AREA CORE AREA ON THE EDGE OF NAPLES IN THE WESTERN EVERGLADES, 200 SQUARE MILES. AND THAT WAS JUST THIS SEASON ALONE. BUT WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR QUITE A WHILE, 13 SEASONS AND WE REALLY STARTED HITTING OUR STRIDE ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO WHEN WE HAD OUR FIRST 2000 POUNDS SEASON, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS A CRAZY NUMBER THAT WE REMOVED A TON OF SNAKE. SO TO THAT. TO STILL SEE THAT THERE'S THIS MUCH BIOMASS OUT THERE IS CONCERNING. SO YOU CAN IMAGINE WE PUT, YOU KNOW, THE SCOUTS, THESE MALES WITH TRANSMITTERS, THEY BECOME ACES IN THE HAND FOR US. AND THEN WE LET THEM DO THE HARD WORK. WE STILL HAVE OUR JOB CUT OUT YOU HAVE TO GET TO THEM. AND THAT WOULD BE A PRETTY REMOTE. SO I AVERAGE WEEK WOULD LOOK LIKE IN THE BREEDING SEASON OF SOME AERIAL TELEMETRY WHERE I'M UP IN THE AIRPLANE AND I HAVE A PILOT. THE FLIES US AROUND OUT OF NAPLES AIRPORT AND WE ARE LISTENING FROM THE AIR. WE HAVE ANTENNAS ON BOTH WINGS AND THESE ANIMALS WILL COVER A LOT OF GROUND. WE KNOW THIS FROM HIS YEARS OF TRACKING THEM. THIS IS A SO MAKE THAT HAS A HOME RANGE OF SQUARE MILES AND ARE TRANSMITTERS. DON'T HAVE THAT RANGE, IF YOU WILL, OF ON THE GROUND WOULD BE LUCKY IF WE HEAR THEM EVERY QUARTER MILE OR HALF MILE OR IF THEY'RE UP IN BROADCASTING LIKE THEY'RE HIGHER UP IN A TREE. GETTING THAT SIGNAL OUT THAT YOU GUYS CAN APPRECIATE IS THAT WE CAN PICK THEM UP FROM MUCH FURTHER. SO WHEN WE'RE IN THERE, WE GET A WIDER GRAB FOR OUR SIGNAL. WE'RE STILL PLAYING WITH THIS WORLD WAR. 2 ERA TECHNOLOGY VHA TRANSMISSIONS. WE DON'T HAVE GPS COLLAR FOR PYTHONS AND YOU CAN KIND OF SEE WHY THEY'RE NOT LIKE A PANTHER. WHERE, THOUGH, THANK YOU COULD FIT A COLORADO. SO WE'RE PLAYING THIS GAME OF USING THIS TECHNOLOGY WHICH WORKS TRYING TO LOCATE THEM AS IMAGINE 40 PLUS OF THESE ANIMALS ARE MOVING ABOUT THE LANDSCAPE. IT'S A FUN GAME. I CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER ONE FOR A WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST. I'M NOT SURE WHAT I'LL DO WHEN THIS ASSIGNMENT OVER WHEN YOU'RE BEEN CHASING ONE OF THE LARGEST SNAKES ON THE PLANET FOR DECADES. BUT IT'S FUN. IT'S EXCITING. KEEPS US ON OUR TOES. BUT IT'S IT'S WILD OUT THERE WHEN THESE ANIMALS ARE TAKING YOU TO PLACES THAT YOU NEVER BEEN BEFORE, YOU'D BE LIKE, WHY WOULD I GO THERE? WELL, WE GOT TO STAY ON THE TAIL OF THIS TAG NOW, PYTHON BECAUSE IT'S THE MIDDLE OF THE BREEDING SEASON. ANY PROBABLY HAS A FEMALE AND MANY OTHER MALES NEARBY. IF THAT MAKES SENSE. >> YES, I WONDER IF YOU'RE UP IN THE AIR, HOW ARE YOU ULTIMATELY FINDING THE STAKES ON THE GROUND GETTING A GOOD DEAL OF 2 DOWN THERE THAT YOU COMMUNICATE WITH? ACTUALLY, IT'S. >> IT'S SORT OF A THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE SEASON WHEN I'M DOING SOME AERIAL TELEMETRY AND I I TEAM IS ON THE GROUND. I HAVE A TEAM OF HAVE WELL TO OTHER ADDITIONAL BIOLOGIST. ANY STERLING'S BEEN WITH ME FOR A DECADE AND ONE OF MY FORMER INTERN'S CASON AT ALL KIND TO JOIN THE TEAM AND ITS TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION. IT'S VERY COOL. WINDY. I'M ON A PLANE GETTING WE CALL FRESH INTEL AND I KNOW WHERE THAT ANIMAL THAT SLIPPED US THE WEEK BEFORE FINALLY SHOWED UP AND IN THE BREEDING SEASON, IT USUALLY MEANS THAT THEY MADE THAT MANEUVER THAT WHEN WE GET TO HIM, IT'S GOING TO BE REWARDED WITH THE PILOT PYTHONS FOR US. THAT'S A GOOD DAY. AND MOST OF THE PYTHONS WERE PULLING OUT OR NOT THIS SIZE, ALTHOUGH YOU CAN FIND THESE SMALLER MALES IN A BREEDING AGGREGATION, IT'S TYPICALLY ONE FEMALE AND EITHER ONE MALE OR ONCE THE SEASON GETS LATER, YOU CAN HAVE WHOLE CAST OF CHARACTERS IN THAT AGGREGATION, IF YOU WILL. AND SO THEY BECOME QUITE THE RODEO WHEN THE PEAK OF THE SEASON IS RIGHT AROUND VALENTINE'S DAY. YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS UP AND TYPICALLY EVERY VALENTINE'S DAY YOU CAN FIND US ON A PILE OF PYTHONS. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR RECORD YEAR. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING ALL THIS INFORMATION TODAY. IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 6. >> HERE IS ANOTHER INTERESTING FACT ABOUT BURMESE PYTHONS FROM THE WGCU NEWSROOM. THE STAKES SHOW MATERNAL CARE. THEY INCUBATE THEIR CLUTCHES A FAKE SPIKE TWITCHING OR SHIVERING TO GENERATE AND TRAP BODY HEAT. YOU CAN FIND MORE ON BURMESE PYTHONS BY VISITING WGCU DOT ORG.