While the US state of Florida is suffering from a huge python, it has been found that the state government holds a ‘Python Catching Contest’, pays rewards to those who catch pythons, and holds an annual competition.
On the 14th (local time), the New York Times (NYT), an American daily, introduced the problem of pythons in Florida. “Pythons were popular exotic pets in the United States in the 1970s, but some species became so large that owners eventually released them,” the media reported. It was late,” he pointed out.
Pythons found in the state of Florida are usually over 15 feet (4.57 m) long and have been known to weigh more than 200 pounds (90 kg). A particularly common species is the Burmese python.
The Burmese python, one of the largest of the 4,038 species of suborder snakes, is known as ‘the world’s five largest snakes’. It is estimated that at least tens of thousands of Burmese pythons live in Florida.
The exotic Burmese python is destroying Florida’s ecosystem. Some previous studies have shown that native species living in the Everglades, such as snipe, water lizard, marsh rabbit, and white-tailed deer, have drastically decreased due to the Burmese python, according to the media.
In response, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has held a Burmese python catching competition under the name of the ‘Florida Python Challenge’ every year since 2013.
This competition is held once a year and participants are prohibited from using firearms. Participants are also required to take an online course on how to humanely kill a python.
Prizes and bounties are awarded according to the number and length of snakes caught by the contestants. Last year, 977 people participated, and the grand prize winner who caught 28 fish received a prize of $10,000.
Apart from this competition, the state government also gives rewards and allowances to those who catch pythons. For this reason, some people make python catching a profession.
The reward depends on the length of the python caught. Pythons up to 4 feet (122 cm) long are priced at $50 per foot, and $25 per foot for lengths exceeding this limit. That is, the 4-foot length is $200 (261,300 won), the 5-foot length is $225 (293,900 won), and the 10-foot length is $350 (457,200 won).
According to the FWC, more than 18,000 pythons have been found and removed in Florida since 2000, of which 2,500 were caught last year.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.
