Florida wildlife officials are launching a couple new programs to encourage people to help remove Burmese pythons—one of Florida’s nonnative species.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has unveiled two programs.
Through the Python Pickup Program, officials want the public to remove and report wild Burmese Pythons in and around the Everglades area. Participants will then be eligible for a prize as well as a monthly drawing. Prizes range from T-shirts to a lifetime Sportsmen’s License. They must have photographic evidence and provide the python’s removal location.
The second is the Python Contractor Program, which pays participants for the python removal. FWC officials have already selected 22 contractors who have experience capturing the wild Burmese pythons.
A recent executive order also allows people to remove pythons from 22 public lands. No permit is needed.
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