- The program pays $50 per snake and $25 per foot for snakes over 4 feet
- Burmese pythons threaten native wildlife and have no natural predators
- About 19,000 pythons have been removed from the Everglades since 2000
A Florida man bagged 87 invasive Burmese pythons in a month and earned a $1,000 (approx Rs 87,000) reward through the state incentive system. Aaron Mann won the monthly prize money as part of the South Florida Water Management District's (SFWMD) Python Elimination Program, reported The New York Post.
The program encourages knowledgeable Sunshine State citizens to catch and kill as many of the state's invasive Burmese pythons as possible. The incentives include by-the-foot compensation and monthly prizes for the highest catch count. Mann won the reward for July.
The annual Florida Python Challenge attracted a large number of participants last year. However, they managed to kill only 200 of the reptiles throughout the 10-day hunt. The winner of the challenge last year took home a $10,000 (Rs 8.7 lakh) incentive after removing 20 pythons, which is a small portion of Mann's total.
In addition to the winner, specialised python removal workers are also compensated $50 (Rs 4,400) for each snake they capture. They get an additional $25 (Rs 2,200) for each foot for snakes longer than the typical 4 feet.
According to SFWMD, the Python Elimination Program aims to reduce the invasive python population, which poses a significant threat to the ecosystem by preying on native birds, mammals, and reptiles. The reptiles can measure as long as 18 feet in length and are capable of swallowing an entire deer whole. They also have no natural predators to keep their numbers in check.
The program is part of the state's efforts to control the snake population in the Everglades, which has grown significantly since the 1990s. While the officials aren't sure what the precise count is, the state continues to implement new measures, including a tracking program using "cartoonish robot rabbits" to detect pythons and dispatch removal agents.
Once a python is detected through the tracking system, officials send a removal agent to capture and eliminate the snake, who would then receive compensation for their efforts.
Roughly 19,000 pythons have been removed from the Everglades since 2000, reported Fox Weather Service.
