Burmese python, also known as Burmese rock python, is more abundant in Southeast Asia and is also distributed in the southern forest areas of China. The Burmese python is very large, reaching 7 meters or more in length and weighing 91 kilograms. In the origin of the Burmese python, due to the suppression of natural enemies, the continuous shrinking of the habitat, the shrinking of food and other reasons, the size of the Burmese python is mostly about 5 meters, and the number is decreasing, so China will list the Burmese python as a national protected animal.
But in Florida, in the United States, Burmese pythons not only do not protect animals, but encourage the hunting of Burmese pythons, so what is going on?
In the last century, Burmese pythons were sold as pets in the United States, and in pursuit of profit, merchants did not tell them how big the Burmese python was when selling it, so that when the Burmese python grew larger and posed a threat to its owner, some of the Burmese pythons were abandoned in the wild.
In the local area, although the American alligator can hunt the smaller Burmese python, once the Burmese python is more than 5 meters, the alligator not only cannot successfully hunt the other party, but may be killed by the other party. Locals once observed a Burmese python swallowing an alligator and its stomach exploding.
Burmese pythons are oviparous, can lay about 20-50 eggs at a time, sometimes as many as 80 eggs, scientists found 87 snake eggs from the belly of a Burmese python with a body length of 5.36 meters. In order to improve the survival rate of their offspring, Burmese pythons produce heat by muscle contraction to hatch their pups. Due to the lack of natural enemies, the vast majority of these cubs are able to grow. According to estimates, there are about 30,000-300,000 Burmese pythons living in the local area, and the reason why the estimates vary so widely is that most of the time the Burmese python hides in the water, trees, or leaves, which is difficult to observe.
Since Burmese pythons, which are threatened with extinction in their place of origin, can be restored in the United States, why does the United States not protect them but kill them?
This has to be said: endangered organisms sometimes become invasive species, and the number of local protists has fallen sharply due to the invasion of Burmese pythons.
After the Burmese python flooded in Florida, the North American possum population was observed to have disappeared by 98.9 percent between 2003 and 2011, the frequency of raccoons fell by 99.3 percent, and the white-tailed deer and short-tailed cats also fell by 94.1 percent and 87.5 percent, respectively.
Burmese pythons not only directly threaten local animals, but also affect the predation of other animals. For example, the alligator's prey is constantly decreasing, so that although they are not directly killed by Burmese pythons, their numbers are still declining.
In order to protect the local ecological environment and expel the Burmese python, the local government has thought of many ways, including the Burmese python shooting competition. In 2013, the first public hunting contest for Burmese pythons was held, and before the competition began, the staff would conduct science popularization among the participants to help them distinguish between Burmese pythons and other snakes in case of hunting mistakes.
In the first year, more than 1,600 people attended, but only 68 pythons were killed. The reason why Burmese pythons are difficult to hunt and kill is because burmese pythons are erratic in their movements, and the patterns on their bodies help them to be invisible, making it difficult for participants to observe. Burmese pythons crawl extremely fast, and they are very large, and if they are not careful, they may even threaten humans.
In addition, the participants in the hunting of Burmese pythons have different levels of snake hunting, and many people are unable to kill larger Burmese pythons.
In order to hunt the local Burmese python more efficiently, the United States imported two snake catchers from India to hunt the Burmese python. The two men hunted 27 Burmese pythons in a single month, including a female about 5 meters long.
Local workers also install a positioning system on the captured Burmese python, then release them back into the wild to find a companion, and then use the positioning system to find its location and hunt its companions.
In addition, the local government even developed menus in an attempt to eliminate the Burmese python through the power of foodies. But unfortunately, the Burmese python is still flooding in the wild and is difficult to be eradicated.
For species such as the Burmese python, which have a small number in the place of origin and are flooded abroad, protection and hunting are for the sake of the local ecological environment.
In the origin of the Burmese python, in the past the Burmese python was often at risk of being ingested. Nowadays, with the rise of animal protectionism, snake hunting in the origin of pythons in Myanmar has been banned, and only public welfare snake hunting is currently allowed, for example, India allows the capture of venomous snakes to obtain snake venom, and after taking four snake venoms, the snake must be released into the wild.
With the increase of animal protection, the current number of snakes, including Burmese pythons, is gradually recovering.