A record-breaking 6,300 pounds of Burmese pythons were removed from southwest Florida by a group that’s eliminated more than 20 tons of the invasive species in the past 12 years.
A record-breaking 6,300 pounds of Burmese pythons were removed from southwest Florida by a group that's eliminated more than 20 tons of the invasive species in the past 12 years.
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida announced Monday that the 6,300 pounds removed during the recent breeding season that runs from November through April were a record-breaking amount.
Watch NBC6 free wherever you are
The group also marked a milestone as they've removed over 40,000 pounds of the snakes, some 20 tons, from a 200-square-mile area in southwest Florida dating back to 2013.
"We have been on the front line of the invasive python battle for more than a decade," Ian Bartoszek, the wildlife biologist and Conservancy Science Project Manager who oversees the python program, said in a statement. "Removing more than 40,000 pounds of snake, carried out through some of Florida’s unrelenting wildlife habitats, is a heavy-lifting assignment. But, through years of dedicated research, we’ve developed science-based methods to track this apex predator more effectively and mitigate its damage to our native wildlife population."
Get local news you need to know to start your day with NBC 6's News Headlines newsletter.
The group uses 40 scout snakes, male pythons that are tagged, to locate reproductive female pythons on public and private land from Naples through the Western Everglades.
In addition to removing the pythons, the group has stopped some 20,000 python eggs from hatching.
The Conservancy’s python program is one of the leading research and removal initiatives globally. Its scientists have been recognized for capturing the largest female python ever documented to date, measuring 18 feet long and weighing 215 pounds, as well as the largest male python on record at 16 feet and 140 pounds.
