By: Kyle Grammatica
Slithering through the Everglade’s river of grass, you spot one: an invasive Burmese python. You stop in your tracks. You just bagged a 10-foot constrictor and helped remove one of the largest threats to south Florida’s biodiversity. If that sounds like your kind of fun, then you need to bid in our A Night for Nature auction from November 30th at 7am to December 5th at 10pm!
Backwoods Python Hunt
Grab three friends and tag along with experienced hunters for backwoods python hunting! Get off the beaten path and hunt for pythons in the woods and wetlands of south Florida with the experts. Help eliminate Florida of destructive, invasive Burmese pythons while supporting Swamp Apes, an organization that’s dedicated to serving veterans through serving the wilderness. Weather conditions greatly affect chance of success, so tour flexibility is appreciated.
Winner may choose one of the following hunts:
- Summertime hunt – these forays into the wilderness involve road cruising levees from the back of a specially outfitted pickup truck at night. Most pythons are found between 10pm and 2am. Expect a late night but good times. Patience and bug juice are musts.
- Wintertime hunt – for the more adventurous. These are daylight hunts in a boat along canal banks in the Everglades. Experienced hunters look for snaky spots and dive right into the brush. Join the team as they seek mating balls of pythons in the dense bush. Stamina, Bactine, and bug juice are musts for this trip.
The Backwoods Python Hunt has a fair market value of $800.
About Burmese Pythons
Burmese pythons are native to Southeast Asia and are one of the largest species of snake found in the world. They are tan colored with markings on their body that look similar to giraffe markings. They are semi aquatic and are excellent climbers. Due to their large size, Burmese pythons have very few predators, with alligators and humans as the exceptions.
Burmese pythons are most established in south Florida, although smaller populations have been found around the state. They became established in the state through the exotic pet trade, and as a result of Hurricane Andrew destroying a breeding facility in 1992. Burmese pythons prey upon a variety of animals, including many of Florida’s threatened species like the Key Largo wood rat. They have quickly overtaken the Everglades and are drastically reducing the populations of native species in the area. The loss of biodiversity affects the entirety of the Everglades, one of the most unique ecosystems in the world.
By hunting pythons, you’re not only removing the destructive snakes, you’re also helping us fund projects to combat invasives through your purchase. To bid on our Backwoods Python Hunt and other great items, check out our A Night for Nature online auction from November 30th to December 5th.
