FLORIDA PYTHON CHALLENGE 2013

Dick has applied online for a volunteer job in the Everglades National Park over the past two years. They offered him a job running the Recycle program and mowing but he turned it down. He said he'd rather do something more exciting like hunt Burmese Pythons. Well, now he has the chance. When we arrived at Big Cypress National Preserve we heard about the "Florida Python Challenge". It began January 12 and runs through February 16. The invasive species has been taking over the Florida Everglades area so this is one way they can cut down on the population (snakes not people). Prizes include $1,000 for the longest python caught, and $1,500 for the most pythons killed. Around 800 amateur and professional hunters have joined the python purge, but Dick's changed his mind about signing up. We listened to a local radio station interviewing Dave Shealy, who has a commercial campground and a wildlife zoo in the Big Cypress Preserve. He was told about a python in the area. Dave doesn’t handle snakes much so he took his zookeeper along to catch the snake. They found a large python lying in a ditch along Hwy. 41 (Tamiami Trail). The zookeeper jumped in the ditch and grabbed the snake. The snake bit him. Dave said the zookeeper actually found that humorous and he came out of the ditch with the snake coiled around him and tiptoeing like Tinkerbell. Dave said he didn't know what to do and knew he'd need help, so he shoved the snake wrapped man into the back of his truck and sped home. Dick said if he did sign up for the Florida Python Challenge, this sounded like the perfect technique for catching snakes. He just couldn’t get me to go along with the plan. He said he was going to locate the snakes with his good eye and I was supposed to jump in the ditch and grab the snake.  NOT!!

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