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1979年在大沼澤地发现的第一条缅甸巨蟒很可能是一只被释放或逃到野外的宠物。今天，成千上万的巨蟒栖息在大沼泽地国家公园周围的陆地上，这给当地的生态带来了巨大的威胁，应对蟒蛇的巡逻队由此产生。
The first Burmese python（缅甸蟒蛇） found in the Everglades in 1979 was likely a former pet released or escaped into the wild. Today， tens of thousands of the snakes inhabit the mainland around Everglades National Park. While pythons arent known to attack people， they have been known to eat a wide range of wildlife from tiny songbirds to adult deer and alligators（钝吻鳄） up to 6 feet long. As they are getting in the way of the areas natural functioning system， they must be removed. However，finding an invasive python in the wild is difficult.
An army of trained volunteers and professionals is needed to report or respond to python encounters. The Nature Conservancy in Florida launched a python patrol in the Florida Keys in 2008 and with the help of Everglades National Park， expanded the effort to the mainland in 2010. Over 400 responders were trained by the Conservancy and they can safely and humanely capture and remove pythons they encounter.
“We encourage anyone who sees a python or other non?native animals to take a photo from a safe distance and report it to the free hotline，” said Cheryl Millett， the Conservancy biologist who transferred the python patrol to the FWC in 2013.
During training， responders are taught to pull an escaping python back by the tail repeatedly to let the snake expend a lot of energy. When the snake is tired， the responder grabs the base of the head to avoid getting caught by the snake. Pythons captured in the wild are securely bagged， boxed， tagged and dropped off for research or training.
A 17?foot Burmese python was recently captured and removed from Big Cypress National Preserve in the Florida Everglades， the largest
ever captured there. It weighed 140 pounds and took four people to carry. This story gained national attention and was featured in The New York Times.
“Right now， imported species are innocent until proven guilty，” says Kris Serbesoff?King， the Conservancys director of science and planning. “As a nation， we need to be cautious to take in new species. We must make sure that the imported wildlife will not harm the lands and waters we are working to protect.”
Reading
The first Burmese python（缅甸蟒蛇） found in the Everglades in 1979 was likely a former pet released or escaped into the wild. Today， tens of thousands of the snakes inhabit the mainland around Everglades National Park. While pythons arent known to attack people， they have been known to eat a wide range of wildlife from tiny songbirds to adult deer and alligators（钝吻鳄） up to 6 feet long. As they are getting in the way of the areas natural functioning system， they must be removed. However，finding an invasive python in the wild is difficult.
An army of trained volunteers and professionals is needed to report or respond to python encounters. The Nature Conservancy in Florida launched a python patrol in the Florida Keys in 2008 and with the help of Everglades National Park， expanded the effort to the mainland in 2010. Over 400 responders were trained by the Conservancy and they can safely and humanely capture and remove pythons they encounter.
“We encourage anyone who sees a python or other non?native animals to take a photo from a safe distance and report it to the free hotline，” said Cheryl Millett， the Conservancy biologist who transferred the python patrol to the FWC in 2013.
During training， responders are taught to pull an escaping python back by the tail repeatedly to let the snake expend a lot of energy. When the snake is tired， the responder grabs the base of the head to avoid getting caught by the snake. Pythons captured in the wild are securely bagged， boxed， tagged and dropped off for research or training.
A 17?foot Burmese python was recently captured and removed from Big Cypress National Preserve in the Florida Everglades， the largest
ever captured there. It weighed 140 pounds and took four people to carry. This story gained national attention and was featured in The New York Times.
“Right now， imported species are innocent until proven guilty，” says Kris Serbesoff?King， the Conservancys director of science and planning. “As a nation， we need to be cautious to take in new species. We must make sure that the imported wildlife will not harm the lands and waters we are working to protect.”
Reading