Snakes alive! Florida removes
(gulp) 5,000 pythons from the Everglades
(CNN)
Talk about your unwanted guests.
Burmese pythons are not
naturally found in Florida. But the nonnative pests reproduce -- and kill other
species -- so frequently that the state takes extraordinary measures to combat
them.
Wildlife officials removed 5,000
from the Everglades, according to a statement from the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission.
"Each invasive python
eliminated represents hundreds of native Florida wildlife saved," said
"Alligator Ron" Bergeron, a member of the South Florida Water
Management District's governing board. "Florida is doing more than it ever
has to remove pythons from the Everglades and protect this ecosystem for
generations to come."
How did Burmese pythons become
so established in Florida?
Wildlife officials say it
happened as a result of escaped or released pets. It is illegal to release
nonnative species into the wild.