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Syndication: Treasure Coast
(Everglades, FL) — Florida wildlife experts are deploying 40 robotic rabbit decoys into the Everglades to help entice Burmese pythons into traps to be killed. Environmentalists have been experimenting with all kinds of methods to slow the growing population of pythons in Florida. Invasive pythons threaten the native ecosystem by preying upon the wildlife that lives there, including wading birds, mammals, and other reptiles.
The robo-bunnies are equipped with a heat signature, cameras and scent to lure the snakes so they can be trapped. They were built by researchers at the University of Florida and are funded by the South Florida Water Management District which also hosts the annual Florida Python Challenge.
One of the leaders of the Miami Zoo doubts snakes will be fooled by the robotic rabbits. Ron Magill says snakes have a discerning palate. Though he says it can’t hurt to try it out.
The robot rabbits are being sent out just as the annual python hunting challenge has ended. Hunters head into the Everglades every summer to see how many pythons they can bag. A grand prize of $10,000 will be awarded to the hunter who captured the most pythons. They are still sorting out who the winner will be Nearly 200 pythons were removed from the Everglades during last year’s challenge. Overall, more than eleven-hundred have been killed since the first Florida Python Challenge in 2013.
