#pythons

An inland carpet python (Morelia spilota metcalfei) in Flinders Ranges, Australia

Trying to hold a blue tongue skink with one hand is truly the most awkward thing to attempt 😬 But here’s Casper all fat and happy!

For those not in the know, Burmese pythons have been on the loose in the Florida Everglades for decades now. There have been sightings since the 1930s, but Hurricane Andrew destroyed a breeding facility in 1992, which allows hundreds of these invasive snakes to escape and establish a breeding population.

Since then, they have had an absolutely devastating impact on Everglades ecology by consuming any and all prey they can find--over 70 species have been found in dead pythons. In some places, native species like bobcats and opossums have all but disappeared, with their numbers dropping by up to 98-100%. While large American alligators are capable of hunting and eating pythons, and smaller animals can eat their eggs, the pythons are very good at hiding. It's estimated that of 100 pythons in an area, hunters will only find one to three of them--which makes controlling the snakes immensely difficult.

So conservationists have had to get creative, and this is one of the more inspired schemes I've seen. The stuffed rabbit is scented like the real deal, with artificial heat to further attract the snake. The python doesn't even need to attack the decoy, since a camera lets observers know that it's nearby, ready to be removed and euthanized.