Linda Barry

Southern Perspective

Snakes in Florida have been hot news these last few years. Now the whole situation seems to be at a tipping point, and things are getting desperate. With their invasive and overwhelming presence in southern Florida, Burmese pythons have become the apex predators down there. Not only are they preying on Florida wildlife, what they're eating takes away from our native predators.

It's not the pythons' fault. As usual, it's ours, but how to fix it? There's no way to do it without killing them, and there's no way to know how many that will be. Yes, it's necessary at this point, but it's still sad, much like the green iguana situation down there.

Some people are up to the task. In fact, the South Florida Water Management District recently opened 25 more positions for python hunters and received about 1,000 applications. This will double the hunter manpower of the Python Elimination Program.

► Python removal effort:Gov. DeSantis announces new python removal efforts to protect the greater Everglades

► 6-foot snake:Burmese python caught while swimming in Naples Bay

Now, I'm sure you're wondering what it takes to convince someone to go looking for that kind of scaly trouble. Well, the SFWMD starts with minimum wage to pay for the hunt. Then, there are bonuses to act as bounties. Each python up to 4 feet long is a $50 paycheck with a $25 add-on for each extra foot. Then, if the snake has a nest, jackpot! That's another $200.

According to the SFWMD's website, the number of snakes caught in the $50 range is more than double the next most common size of 7 to 8 feet. For the sake of supposition, let's say a hunter caught a 6-footer with no nest, which totals $100. Would that bounty, in addition to the hourly minimum wage, be enough to make me go tromping through rattlesnake, moccasin, alligator and mosquito territory in pursuit of a supersnake? Uh, no. In fact, I'm certain there's not enough money.

Apparently, at least 1,000 people feel differently. Some folks are looking just for the money, which by the way, I'm not judging. Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do to feed the family. Others are looking for the thrill. It would be exciting stuff. I'll give them that one. Then, there are those who are honestly trying to reinstate Florida's natural food chain. Good for them.

I love our state, but I'll be leaving this job to those who want to do it. Whatever motivates python hunters to do the work is their own business and okay with me. I hope, however, they follow the regulations PEP has in place for humane python disposal. I also hope officials enforce them. It's only right.

PEP has been quite successful, so we'll see how this expansion goes. Good luck to them all.

Linda Barry is a Southern gal and a columnist for the News Journal.