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The South Florida Water Management District’s experimental python hunting program is up to 24 snakes weighing a total of 930 pounds.
In a video posted Wednesday, hunter Nicholas Banos describes killing two Burmese pythons, including one that weighed a whopping 82 pounds and measured 14 feet.
The hunt, which began March 25 and ends June 1, is an an effort to reduce the population of invasive Burmese pythons in the Everglades.
The Water Management District pays hunters $8.10 an hour, plus incentives starting at $50, for a 4-foot snake and $25 for each additional foot above that.
A snake found guarding a nest with eggs is worth an additional $100.
Python Program Clip: Baños' Two Big Kills from SFWMD on Vimeo.
But it’s no easy task.
“Burmese pythons are devilishly hard to find,” said Greg Conterio, who is one of 25 hunters chosen for the program. “They are perfectly camouflaged. They are experts at not being found.”
Cox Media Group
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