FL - Burmese pythons: Latest hunt netted over 200 of the invasive species in the Everglades
Catching pythons is less about skill and more about technique — at least according to Toby Benoit.
The writer, novelist, and python hunter from Inverness set out for this year’s 2023 Florida Python Challenge with a mission.
With a team of first-time python hunters, Benoit led the group through the darkness of the Everglades. For thousands of years, the Everglades have served as a vital ecosystem for many reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. However, since Burmese pythons started showing up, nearly 90% of the mid-sized mammals in the Everglades have been wiped out.
According to experts, their wide-ranging appetite has led to the python population’s growth and made it unlikely to be eradicated.
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“I remember the Everglades as being this wildlife wonderland," Benoit said. "There were just herds of deer. You could go down to the levees, and you’d see bobcats, possums, raccoons, and birds like out of a National Geographic study of Africa. It was just amazing,”
Since the python invasion, the Everglades is a “ghost town,” he said.
After five years of python hunting, Benoit realized how quickly pythons adapt to their surrounding environment.
“I think the best advice I received was don’t focus on looking at everything to be a snake; start focusing on everything that doesn’t look like a snake,” said Benoit. “They have the greatest camouflage pattern in all of nature.”
During the 10-day 2023 Florida Python Challenge, held Aug. 4-13, competitors wrangled about 230 snakes. While many competitors were likely tempted by the $10,000 prize, others like Benoit were in it for the wildlife.
Benoit is just one of the warriors in the fight against the Burmese python population. Dozens of wildlife biologists and reptile experts have dedicated countless hours to stopping the spread of these destructive pythons.
