A Curious Question   
     Part 3 of 3

      Will pythons be the only beneficiaries of a $10 billion reclamation project in the Everglades? 

   Various jurisdictions rule the glades, the federal government, Florida Fish and Wildlife, Seminole and Miccosukee Indian tribes and a state water management district, which hires hunters.

   Since 2017, contract hunters have removed more than 2,000 pythons - two and a half miles worth. It takes a hunter about 19 hours on average to find a python. Snake-hunting dogs can find them twice as fast, but are hampered by heat and the environment. One snake was found 15 miles off shore. 

    A woman named Donna has caught 140 pythons. Snakes are difficult to see among the grass, but she learned to look for the shine. 

   The Everglades has been undergoing a $10 billion, 35-year reclamation project. When it is finished, if pythons have eaten all the birds and mammals - which they almost have - it will be a disaster, said an observer. 

   During a cold spell in 2010, under 40 degrees, many pythons and other non-native reptiles died. 

   Ah ha! There we go. Just wait for the next cold snap in subtropical South Florida and block the snakes access to warmer tortoise burrows. Problem solved. Nice knowing ya Elvis, and thanks for your help. 
 

Feature in Smithsonian magazine

       Jimmy 

Coming up

Three men formerly in hate groups