Wooten Everglades Airboat Tour employees caught an 11-foot, 6-inch Burmese python at Wooten’s yesterday. This is the latest in a series of pythons the Wooten’s team has captured in the Everglades to help the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission control the invasive species.
Burmese pythons are native to southeastern Asia, where they can grow as long as 19 feet. The pythons in the Everglades are descendants of pets released by owners unwilling to take care of them. They’re now disrupting the ecosystem of the Everglades by preying on native animals, some nearly to the point of extinction.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission manages a permit program that allows trained conservationists to remove nonnative reptile species from state lands to protect the Everglades.
