ANACONDA!! or python

            Have you ever seen the movie Anaconda?  Recently, in efforts to control the population of the Burmese python in the Everglades, the state of Florida has created a new competition.  This competition offers a total of $2,500 for whoever kills the most and biggest pythons.  About 800 people including the Florida Senator Bill Nelson (a big anit-python activist) have signed up for this competition.  The contest started on January 14th and goes until Febuary 10th. 

            This python isn't indigenous to the Everglades, but thrives in the area because of the ideal climate and lack of natural predators.  The animal was probably introduced to the wild when pet owners couldn't handle the pets any longer and decided to free them. In 2010, a law was enacted that made the buying, selling, and trading of theses snakes illegal.  Now, despite preventative laws, the number of pythons estimated to be living in the Everglades ranges from tens to hundreds of thousands.  A big reason for this growth is that pythons have been found carrying as many as 50 eggs!  This is a big reason their population has grown so rapidly.  Also, the Burmese python has been found as big as 20ft and eats anything from rabbits, to 70 pound deer, to little children.  This are worrisome stats because eventually pythons will over populate the everglades and start moving into neighborhoods.

            I can see how the Burmese python creates such a large problem for the Everglades community.  The idea to make a competition out of killing these snakes is really innovative and relatively inexpensive.  This idea lets the community take the problem into their own hands.  Although very clever, it will only be thought of as a good idea if it is successful.       

  http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/16/senator-to-join-python-hunt/?iref=allsearch