2 years ago
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MIAMI (AP) — A 19-year-old South Florida antheral captured 28 Burmese pythons during a 10-day contention that was created to summation consciousness astir the threats the invasive snakes airs to the state’s ecology.
Matthew Concepcion was among the 1,000 participants from 32 states, Canada and Latvia who participated successful the yearly challenge, which removed 231 of the unwanted pythons, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said successful a quality release.
For his efforts, Concepcion was awarded the $10,000 Ultimate Grand Prize courtesy of the Bergeron Everglades Foundation. Dustin Crum won a $1,500 expansive prize for removing the longest python, astatine conscionable implicit 11 feet (3.3 meters).
Earlier this year, a squad of biologists hauled successful the heaviest Burmese python ever captured successful Florida. That pistillate python weighed successful astatine 215 pounds (98 kilograms), was astir 18 feet agelong (5 meters) and had 122 processing eggs, according to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.
Burmese pythons aren’t protected but by Florida’s anti-cruelty law, truthful participants had to papers that each 1 was killed humanely.
Concepcion told the South Florida SunSentinel that he’s been hunting pythons for astir 5 years, and typically looks for them astatine nighttime due to the fact that that’s erstwhile they’re connected the move, seeking the warmth of roads. He uses his conveyance lights to spot them.
This year, however, helium lone spotted 1 connected the roads successful the Everglades, truthful helium changed strategies.
“I worked a levee, caught a mates hatchings, and was like, ‘Dang, this mightiness beryllium the ticket!’ So each azygous nighttime from past on, I went retired determination — conscionable earlier sundown to sunup.”
Concepcion says helium walked the canal, utilizing a flashlight to probe the underbrush. Smaller snakes are truthful good camouflaged that helium looks for their shadows formed by the flashlight beam, helium told the newspaper. But larger snakes are easier to find.
“They volition person a somewhat purple tint to them. They’re truly beautiful.”
Concepcion said helium whitethorn usage immoderate of his net to bargain a almighty lighting setup for his truck, which volition assistance him spot much snakes.
“Our python hunters are passionate astir what they bash and attraction precise overmuch astir Florida’s precious environment. We are removing grounds numbers of pythons and we’re going to support astatine it,” South Florida Water Management District Governing Board Member “Alligator Ron” Bergeron said successful a quality release.
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