MIAMI, Fl. (WMBD) — Burmese pythons are causing a problem in Florida.
They are negatively impacting the ecosystem and biodiversity. Pythons have no natural predators. Their population is growing out of control, and posing a direct impact on native wildlife.
Human fatalities from non-venomous snakes are very rare, probably averaging one or two per year worldwide.
All known constrictor-snake fatalities in the United States are from captive snakes. Deaths of snake owners who didn’t know better and deaths of small children or infants in homes where a snake was kept captive as a pet.
There have been no human deaths from wild-living Burmese pythons in Florida. Overall, the risk of attack is very low.
The South Florida Water Management District Governing Board is taking aggressive action to protect the Everglades and eliminate invasive pythons from across the landscape. Their plan is to humanely euthanize the snakes.
The program is accepting applications for new python removal agents.