The National Park Service is ramping up efforts to combat the invasive python within the national park. As of right now, they have a team of people that catch the snakes inside the park but are looking to expand efforts by allowing hunters to shoot snakes with shotguns.

According to the Sun-Sentinel, the park announced Thursday that for the first time it will allow state-contracted python hunters to pursue the giant snakes within its boundaries. And for the first time, it will allow the use of shotguns to kill them.

Right now their are a few dozen people working within the park, but the park hopes to expand that number to somewhere between 40-120 hunters.

This python ate an adult deer

This is big news because the National Park Service has rebuffed efforts to get hunters into the park. As most people know hunting is strictly prohibited with in national parks, but this effort is being viewed as a eradication effort and not a “Hunt.”

“It’s important to note that this is not a hunt that we’re introducing in Everglades National Park,” Pedro Ramos, superintendent of Everglades National Park said. “We’re inviting people that are interested in helping us tackle this problem come into the park and help us remove as many of these animals as we can out of the landscape.”

The only downside is that not everyone will be permitted to go and shoot snakes. You will have to be licensed by the Parks Service.

Applications are currently closed, but they will be seeking applicants for the python hunting program soon. Applicants must have some snake-catching experience, an absence of wildlife violations and undergo training.

Stay tuned for more information and we will try and let you know as soon as we hear the start of the application process.