The state is trying to improve detection of pythons in the wild because they are adept at camouflage and settling in remote areas, Ms Spencer said.
“We need to try multiple methods, multiple ways to control these animals,” she said.
Burmese pythons were introduced to the Everglades by the exotic pet trade in the 1980s, but their sale was banned in 2012, said Stephen Leatherman, a professor of soil and environment at Florida International University in Miami.
People who held the pythons didn’t always know what to do with them when they got too big to manage, and many released them into the wild. The Burmese python has since replaced the alligator, which is native to Florida, as the apex predator in the Everglades.
Burmese pythons are endangered in parts of Southeast Asia, Mr Leatherman said, but those that have made their home in Florida cannot simply be returned because they are genetically adapted to their new environment. The populations of raccoons, rabbits, possums, birds, and alligators in the wetlands have all declined, along with the deer and panthers, as the pythons have claimed more territory.
“They’re fascinating animals, but they’re just the worst thing for the Everglades,” he said.
Spanning 1.5 million acres in south and southwestern Florida, the Everglades region is a unique freshwater ecosystem surrounded by sawgrass, with a slow-flowing river in the wet season, according to the National Park System. Habitats include cypress swamps, wet prairie and mangroves, which are home to diverse species of birds, mammals, reptiles and plants, according to the National Wildlife Federation.
The Burmese python is just one of the threats threatening that natural resource, said Steve A. Johnson, a professor of wildlife, ecology and conservation at the University of Florida. Water pollution, rising sea levels and urban development, among other invasive species such as the tegu lizard and the cane toad, are taking their toll on the wetlands.
