On the mainland, the Burmese python is a first-class protected animal, while the United States, not only is it not protected, but also encourages people to hunt, and once became the object of annual "hunting activities".
The United States does not have a Burmese python, and the more curious people there are, the more naturally there is
Burmese python, an indigenous species produced in Southeast Asia, has a large body, adult individuals are generally 5 meters, about 75 kilograms, the longest individual can even reach 9 meters, more than 180 kilograms, if the habitat is good, it can always grow, known as one of the largest snakes in the world.
Burmese pythons mostly live in tropical rainforests, and their bodies are "stained" with brown and irregular cloud-like patches, which can harm it. People found its snake skin extremely beautiful, in the early years, often caught peeling, made into leather products, is a luxury of the rich, over time, The Burmese python in Southeast Asia soon became an "endangered species".
The Burmese python said: I am a great snake, actually fell into this, I recruited who to provoke whom, it seems that only to find another way to do.
No, there is no shortage of curious people in the world, living comfortably, always wanting all kinds of tosses. In the 1980s, the pet market rose in the United States, pet lovers, naturally interested in a variety of rare animals, very coincidentally, young Burmese pythons are harmless, very cute, eye-catching. The merchants were invincible, and from this match, the Burmese python soon received the "favor" of a large number of Americans.
To the surprise of many Americans, this pet is not ordinary, you see, it eats and drinks all day, carefree, the belly is big day by day, the body is infinitely long, the hateful dealer, how did not tell me at the beginning, this goods is a giant snake. Yes, the family can not tolerate this "big god", only to release, let them experience the natural style of the United States.
In this way, the Burmese python released into the wild soon established a wild population in the United States, especially in the great swamp area of Florida, which was favored by the Burmese python.
It took less than 30 years for the Burmese python to go from 0 to 300,000 floods, what did it go through?
In the 1990s, burmese pythons were discovered in Florida Everglades National Park, a wetland covering more than 6,000 square kilometers that would be unimaginable if it became the habitat of Burmese pythons. Obviously, people at the time didn't think that much.
It wasn't until around 2000 that the Burmese python in the marshlands was formally recognized and included in alien species that had established breeding populations, calling for attention. Later, when I traced the source, I found that the Burmese python has been "settling" in the United States for nearly 20 years, all of which must start from 1980.
Florida is ideally located in the southeast of the United States, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the west, and Georgia and Alabama to the north. Miami, in eastern Florida, is the gateway for goods to and from South America, and when the pet market rose in 1980, Miami quickly became an important hub for the domestic and foreign pet trade.
The Burmese python, it came with a large pattern, the individual could not keep it was abandoned, the wrong ones in the transport fled, the bustling pet market, but also let the merchants set up farms for them. The Burmese python who is in a foreign land and may be a farm has been summoned by the "hometown", and even the heavens have helped in order to see the hometown. Hurricane Andrew swept through Florida in August 1992, directly destroying Burmese python farms and allowing a large number of "fellow villagers" to meet.
Hurricane Andrew landing field
Burmese pythons do not want to live a life of displacement, they want to be bigger and stronger, and then create the glory of Southeast Asia, Florida has a hot climate, rich water and soil, especially rich wetland resources, there are many animal species here (but there are few large carnivores), do not worry about eating and drinking, which coincides with the habitat of Burmese pythons.
This is one point, another point is that the Burmese python has amazing reproductive ability, it belongs to the oviparous animal, can lay more than 20 to 100 snake eggs at a time, once scientists dissected a 5.36 meters Burmese python, a total of 87 snake eggs. What's more, the heat generated by the contraction of the Muscles of the Burmese python is very high, which undoubtedly accelerates the hatching of snake eggs, and coupled with the lack of natural enemies, it is difficult for the cubs to die.
A large number of snake eggs in the belly of a Burmese python
Burmese pythons are 4 years old, the life expectancy can reach more than 20 years, they enjoy the beauty of nature, the United States Geological Survey related data report, according to the density of capture in previous years, in the Great Swamp region of Florida, in just 30 years, the number of Burmese pythons here, may have reached a terrifying 300,000, more researchers believe that far more, it is estimated that there are now 1 million.
Burmese pythons, in the United States are really arrogant
- Natural camouflage, allowing Burmese pythons to "come and go freely"
Burmese python body is mostly tan, a little yellow on the back, white abdomen, which is just in line with the gray color of the swamp wetland, as we all know, snakes only need to eat once or twice a year to meet the energy needs of the year, therefore, the Daily Activity Frequency of the Burmese Python is very low, as long as it is full of food and drink, in a comfortable place, stay motionless for several months is not a problem.
Therefore, the Burmese python with protective color hides in the water, coils in the tree, lies in the fallen leaves, and blends with the general environment, even if it is found, it only needs to move its position slightly, it will be submerged in the environment again, which is difficult to deal with. Based on this, the Burmese python has no fear, and it has a huge body and can come and go freely in the swamp.
- Huge body, let the Burmese python "arrogant"
Burmese python cloaked in gorgeous clothing, hiding a wanton killing mind, as a carnivorous python, its diet is not limited, can cover the three realms of water, land and air, when you were a child, catch birds, catch frogs, catch mice, catch rabbits when you are slightly larger, catch wrens, catch big blue herons, even more difficult to adulthood, often prey on bobcats, leopards, elk, raccoons, even crocodiles have to taste, can be described as omnipotent, almost can chew the animals here.
Burmese pythons have a serious impact on the local ecology
Huge body, even if it does not eat for a long time, the attack power of the Burmese python is also difficult for the opponent to overwhelm, it only needs one move to wind, the muscle strength brought by continuous contraction is very terrifying, it only takes a few seconds, it can make the opponent's muscles and bones broken or lack of oxygen suffocation. The "arrogant" Burmese python life has become moist, and other animals can be miserable.
Burmese python recipe in Florida
According to a Paper published on January 30, 2012 in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), local mammals could be tested at any time until 2000. However, in just 9 years from 2003 to 2011, the frequency of local short-tailed cats decreased by 87.5%, white-tailed deer fell by 94.1%, possums fell by 98.9%, and the most tragic thing was the raccoon, the frequency of occurrence dropped by 99.3%, in addition, the rabbits that appeared frequently were not even observed by around 2010. In the end, it was concluded that the Burmese python was the culprit.
- Breeding wildly, even crocodiles and mountain lions are terrified
On the other side of the ocean, the Burmese python has found another paradise, it breeds wildly, only one female and one male, and after 5 years it can become a local "famous family". They are overbearing, eating all over the swamp and meeting opponents, are crocodiles powerful? Are mountain lions amazing? In the eyes of the Burmese python, there is no one, who, dare to make a second, it, swallow it correctly.
Once a local resident accidentally saw a terrible picture, a Burmese python about 4 meters long, actually swallowed a 2 meters long or so alligator in a large mouth, it is obvious that in the previous battle, the alligator lost the battle, was swallowed miserably, unfortunately, the Burmese python overestimated its stomach, and finally swallowed the crocodile, broke the stomach, and also died.
In fact, in many cases, burmese pythons are successful in devouring crocodiles, and in Florida, another top predator, the mountain lion, its cubs are often the object of Burmese pythons. Adult individual mountain lions make burmese pythons retreat, but Burmese pythons turn their heads to catch mountain lions' diet animals, so that mountain lions are often hungry, and eventually the number is sharply reduced.
Everyone to evaluate, is the Burmese python very arrogant in the United States?
Florida: Burmese python, don't be too arrogant, I am ready to allocate $3 million to "eliminate" you
- Bounty hunters strike
The Burmese python hidden in the depths of the swamp, so that the Florida authorities have no choice but to look forward to the master in the folk, in 2013, the first "Python Challenge" officially launched, 1600 warriors signed up, the most captured award 1500 US dollars, the longest prize 1000 US dollars. Everyone rushed into the swamp, and as a result, 1600 people only captured 68 in a month.
Before the Python Challenge, the number of pythons removed each year could not keep up with the breeding rate, and the Florida authorities had exhausted their skills
By 2016, more than 1,000 warriors had assembled again and finally captured 106, "remarkable results" and "gratifying", at least an improvement over 2013.
In 2017, a "Python Elimination Program" was born, a long-term challenge program with attractive rewards.
The python phase-out program that began in 2017
In this 2017 program, if you are certified as a professional python killer, you only need to catch 4 pythons in 10 hours a day, you can get a minimum of $350, and if you destroy a python nest, you will be rewarded with an additional $200, and you will be rewarded with "piece mode" during working hours. If the average is to a month, the income is at least around $9,000.
Reward mode for the Python Elimination Program
For example, on November 9, 2018, professional hunter Kyle Penniston captured a 27-foot-5-inch (5.3-meter) giant Burmese python weighing about 54 kilograms, which was certified and gave him an enviable reward of $375.
Bounty hunters attacked, pythons have nowhere to hide, starting in 2017 and ending in July 2022, after Florida certification, 6206 pythons in the state have been cleared. Still, that's a drop in the bucket, with the U.S. Department of the Interior investing more than $142 million in invasive species management activities over the past year for better results.
The Python Removal Program is being updated monthly, with the latest data up to date in July 2022
By August 2022, the annual "Python Challenge" was scheduled, with more than 800 contestants signing up for 11 days. You know, in 2022, the cost of directly for the python removal program will be $3 million. It seems that this time there will be brave men under the heavy reward, and the hunters are expected to return with a full load.
2022 Hunting Event Registration Entrance
In my opinion, in front of 300,000 Burmese pythons, more than 800 players were only captured for 11 days, and the results are obvious.
- Foodies, strike
On the mainland, there is a famous saying of truth: for any flooded species, as long as it is edible, foodies can make it an endangered species. For example, no animal can go out of Guangdong, no rabbit can go out of Sichuan, and for this kind of meaty Burmese python, just think about it, it is very delicious. In fact, Florida also thought of this famous saying on the other side of the ocean, and they wanted to put it into practice.
The Florida authorities have also combined restaurants to launch Burmese python menus, such as pizza, burgers, snake soup, ham and other snake meat products, as long as you succeed in eating one, there is an additional reward. However, the people's food safety is greater than the sky, and the United States is very cautious in eating.
In order to verify the risk of eating burmese pythons, Dr. David Krabenbenhoff, an environmental chemist at the U.S. Geological Survey, collected more than 50 samples of Burmese pythons and found that this predator at the top of the food chain, due to the abundance of food sources, caused its mercury content to exceed the edible standard (the prescribed mercury content edible standard is ≤ 1.5 ppm, and the Burmese python mercury content reaches 3.5 ppm), obviously, it can be eaten, but for the sake of the public, it is not recommended to eat.
Of course, as long as the Burmese pythons caught by bounty hunters pass the safety test, there are still some restaurants that have made related dishes. However, for the Burmese python to breed dozens of snakes, eating in this way is obviously unable to stop the pace of its breeding and spreading.
Fortunately, the Florida authorities have memorized the famous sayings from the other side of the ocean, and they highly believe that they are effective. When it comes to eating, the market is huge, and as long as they can confirm new safe consumption, it is profitable. No, since December 2020, the Florida authorities have been studying new ways for Burmese pythons to be eaten, looking forward to their early release.
Tossing and turning, what is the myanmar python doing now?
The above said that the Burmese python and the swamp work together seamlessly, and judging from the data of more than 1,000 players who captured a month, the Burmese python is indeed too difficult to capture. If you can't rely on people, then look for helpers.
Some people think of using a dog with a keen sense of smell to find the Burmese python, although the dog can swim, but in the dangerous swamp, it is really unable to use its skills. Whether in the water or on the ground, the Burmese python uses the winding skill perfectly, and the dog is likely to be attacked by the Burmese python and will never return.
Some people think of laying traps, such as the hole that can only enter and exit, don't think that only Burmese pythons are stupid, other animals are not very smart, everyone is curious about the baby, as long as the animals that enter the cave are dangerous. Obviously, this approach will exacerbate the disruption of the local ecological balance.
Some people think of biological control, once Australia flooded tens of billions of rabbits, relying on biological control this trick, the rabbit control at the ideal level. However, many biologists have stood up to oppose it, and they highly believe that the virus infects the Burmese python, and other animals eat the carcass of the Burmese python, which will also seriously damage the local ecological balance. Biological control is useful for Australian rabbits, that is because Australia is rich in animal resources, almost no animals put fat cattle and sheep do not eat, turn around to eat dry rabbits.
In 2013, scientific organizations implanted radio transmitters in the bodies of several male Burmese pythons, with the intention of reducing breeding opportunities by eliminating the chances of reproduction when they "rendezvoused" with female Burmese pythons. Who would have thought that the Burmese python is a solitary animal, in a year, it only combines male and female during a specific breeding period, obviously, this is costly, too time-consuming, want to be long-term, not advisable.
A toss, the organs are exhausted, a lament, the number of Burmese pythons, still high, according to the latest statistics of relevant researchers, the number of Burmese pythons in Florida today, or between 300,000 and 1 million, or even more.
In my opinion, if you want to make the Burmese python in Florida an endangered species, you may wish to try these three tricks.
The first trick: hire a Chinese cooking master with a high salary and go across the ocean to help.
The second trick: invite Southeast Asian companies to settle in, I believe that leather products will be in short supply.
The third trick: introduce the Burmese python's "cousin" king cobra in Southeast Asia, or the mainland cauliflower snake, to consume the number of Burmese python cubs.
Extended reading: In the United States, the Burmese python "everyone shouts and beats", while the mainland, why is it still strongly protected?
Burmese pythons are rare first-class protected animals on the mainland, and many Burmese pythons that have been reported to have "invaded people's homes" have been reported, people dare not fight, they can only provide, and many people who are captured privately also have to be served by criminal law.
There are two reasons why it has become a protected animal on the mainland.
First, in the early years, burmese pythons with rough skin and meat were favored by people, people ate snake meat, soaked snake wine, snake medicine, snake skin made into expensive leather bags, belt bags, wallets, Burmese pythons, profitable, everyone caught, and eventually led to a sharp decrease in quantity.
Second, as an indigenous organism, it is an important link in the ecological food chain, and many animals cannot do without it, such as eagle falcons, ferrets, snakes, etc., they like to eat snake eggs, so many Burmese pythons are difficult to adult, and the number is not much. For the adult Burmese python, it is an important nemesis of wild boar, and the wild boar floods in many parts of the mainland, and the Burmese python undertakes the heavy responsibility of "elimination".
Therefore, in adhering to the principle of rare things and natural ecological chains, the Burmese python has a "hukou", which makes people who covet it discourage.
Some references:
https://www.sfwmd.gov/our-work/python-program
https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1115226109