Snake TrapsAround the Everglades, the Python Patrol has set up over 100 traps that cost approximately 80 dollars each. We have specially designed them for catching The Burmese Pythons. In the past, snake cages have been baited with the scents of small rodents or prey. However, we believe these traps are less successful that pheromone baited traps. Our innovative solution involves baiting the cages with pheromones, so that the snakes believe they are tracking the scent of the opposite sex. Since Burmese Pythons are usually solitary creatures, these traps will be especially useful during breeding season, to catch male pythons. So although we place them throughout the park year round, more traps will be moved to common breeding areas to catch male pythons.
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Our Design
MapsFeatured above is a map used by Python Patrol Responders. Each 'x' represents the rough location of one of our traps. Every week, responders use these maps to check their specific quadrants of The Everglades. They will monitor their designated traps, and bring any snakes they find back to the lab for research.
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MaterialsAll of our cages are 5 feet long, extending outwards in a rectangular shape. We use galvanized steel wire to ensure that pythons do not escape one they have been caught. At the back of the cage there is a tightly woven net. This remains bunched together, until a snake enters the cage. The netting is a cost efficient way to ensure that snakes have enough space within the cage, since it extends beyond the metal bars. This way, cages are cost efficient, and the $8000 a year that once went towards snake hunting competitions can now go towards a more permanent solution.
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TriggersThere are two triggers which have to be activated before the door of the cage closes. The two trigger system makes it so that smaller snakes won’t get stuck in the cages, since they won’t be large enough to trigger both sensors. The Burmese Pythons are the largest snakes in the Everglades, which eliminates accidentally trapping larger snakes.
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Radio Telemetry and Research
In our labs, we insert our state of the art High Frequency Trackers into Burmese Pythons (HFT). We have a very specific process that allows us to insert the tracker without hurting the snake. First, we put the snake in a an anesthetic gas aquarium. This sedates them so they don’t feel any pain during the tracker insertion. Next, we insert a beeswax coated transmitter above the reproductive organs. The tracker is covered in beeswax so the snake's bodies won’t reject them. Lastly, a wire antenna is placed under the skin of the python. This allows Python Patrol members to monitor the snakes within the entirety of the Everglades.
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Monitoring The Snakes
This tracking procedure is only performed on ten to twenty snakes, since it is still in its trial stages, and it is very easy for trackers to become damaged by water or the elements. Once the operation is completed, the pythons are released back into the wild. These trackers allow our rangers to track the daily breeding, feeding and daily habits of the pythons, as well as how they interact with species like rabbits, coyotes, and other prey. Our goal with these trackers, is that we will eventually find larger groups of snakes. Most likely, this will occur during breeding season when snakes tend to cluster. When we locate individuals or groups of Burmese Pythons, our rangers are sent into the field to trap them. Each ranger has a snake to monitor and look after. Unfortunately, the batteries in each HFT run out after about a year. So, Python Patrol members recapture the snakes and replace them with new batteries. Once we have information about the pythons, it enables us to predict their movements and target them more directly.
Once we find the snakes, we use standard trapping measures to collect them. Each Python Patrol member is provided with a trapping stick measuring forty inches long. The length prevents snakes from getting too close to responders during trapping. The sticks have a wide rubber coated end, that is gentle on the snake while still keeping it firmly pinned to the ground. From there, the responder moves in, putting their hands around the base of the snake's neck with a loose grip. This is the most critical step in the trapping procedure, since the responder should always be in control. Even as they place an inverted cloth bag over the snake, they retain their grip by transferring their other hand onto the base of the snake's neck. Finally, they twist the top and tie it with a rubber band to finish the trapping procedure.
Once we find the snakes, we use standard trapping measures to collect them. Each Python Patrol member is provided with a trapping stick measuring forty inches long. The length prevents snakes from getting too close to responders during trapping. The sticks have a wide rubber coated end, that is gentle on the snake while still keeping it firmly pinned to the ground. From there, the responder moves in, putting their hands around the base of the snake's neck with a loose grip. This is the most critical step in the trapping procedure, since the responder should always be in control. Even as they place an inverted cloth bag over the snake, they retain their grip by transferring their other hand onto the base of the snake's neck. Finally, they twist the top and tie it with a rubber band to finish the trapping procedure.
Shipments to Bangladesh
The final, and most innovative step to our solution is to move all of the Burmese Pythons caught in The Everglades to Bangladesh. In the past, caught pythons would either be used for research or simply euthanized. But our solution offers a much more humane way of disposing of pythons. In 2012, the Lacey Act prohibited the import of Burmese Pythons into the U.S. and between states. No eggs, living snakes, or hybrids can come in unless they are being used for educational, zoo, medical, or scientific purposes with a permit. However, pythons can still be shipped out of the country.
In Bangladesh, "Burmese Pythons are Endangered...and listed as Vulnerable by IUCN Red List. The declines are almost certainly due to a combination of human exploitation and habitat loss." This makes research on the Burmese Pythons extremely difficult, and researchers actually know little to nothing about the snakes. So we ship our snakes to Bangladesh to begin repopulating their forests. The Bangladesh Python Project there helps to raise awareness and conserve endangered reptiles in Asia. Their project goals are
In Bangladesh, "Burmese Pythons are Endangered...and listed as Vulnerable by IUCN Red List. The declines are almost certainly due to a combination of human exploitation and habitat loss." This makes research on the Burmese Pythons extremely difficult, and researchers actually know little to nothing about the snakes. So we ship our snakes to Bangladesh to begin repopulating their forests. The Bangladesh Python Project there helps to raise awareness and conserve endangered reptiles in Asia. Their project goals are
1. to assist with effective conservation of Burmese Pythons in their native range by collecting ecological information
2. to raise awareness about Burmese Python declines and their importance among local people
3. to provide local training in conservation research techniques
4. to formulate a sustainable model to mitigate python-human conflict and to mitigate python hunting throughout Bangladesh and beyond
2. to raise awareness about Burmese Python declines and their importance among local people
3. to provide local training in conservation research techniques
4. to formulate a sustainable model to mitigate python-human conflict and to mitigate python hunting throughout Bangladesh and beyond
Our solution allows researchers in Bangladesh to do more in depth and thorough research on the Burmese Pythons. It also makes it possible for them to breed the snakes in captivity, in order to begin repopulating the forest. All we have to do at The Python Patrol is pack Burmese Pythons in an insulated box with a heat pack, cold pack, and newspaper to keep them warm. There are several possible reptile shippers that can transport the snakes to Bangladesh each month or every two months. The only problem with this solution, is that it is a bit costly. The shipping kit costs around $18 and the shipment itself costs around $75.
Public Awareness
The final stage in our solution is public awareness. Python Patrol members educate the people in Florida, and broadcast the issue. This is useful for catching any Burmese Pythons or invasive species that escape from the Everglades and end up in backyards. There is a python patrol app, which is downloadable in the Appstore. Once any invasive species is identified, you simply call the Python Hotline 305-815-2080 or 1-888-I’ve Got 1. After sending a picture of the invasive specie to the hotline, our responders will arrive to collect the specie and bring it back to our labs. The Python Patrol has also created short public service announcements and commercials that will soon be broadcast on television and around Florida. A sample is featured below. These videos are used in schools as well, so that people will learn to identify invasive reptiles are opposed to reptiles native to Florida. Public education is a great step in trapping pythons.
Our Training Series
Here at the Python Patrol, we have created a three part training series for incoming rangers. These discuss our solutions, and provide live demonstrations. Watching them in the designated order is recommended.