New python hunting permits go out in January
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Applications are available at MyFWC.com; click on "Burmese pythons" from the "Quick Clicks" menu. Only qualified applicants will be issued the permits.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will issue permits for capturing reptiles of concern on state-managed lands in South Florida in January. The permits will expire Dec. 31, 2010.
Applications are available at MyFWC.com; click on "Burmese pythons" from the "Quick Clicks" menu. Only qualified applicants will be issued the permits.
The FWC issued 15 permits this year for capturing Burmese pythons and other reptiles of concern on specific state-managed lands in South Florida. Ten permit holders actually made trips on the wildlife management areas, capturing 39 Burmese pythons total. No other reptiles of concern were found. The original permit for the 10 who made trips has been extended through 2009 and they are eligible to apply for the new permit.
Permit holders now must be Florida residents and to have a reptile of concern permit, digital camera and a GPS unit. They also must have experience in capturing wild snakes, handling large constrictors, euthanizing reptiles and working in remote areas. Permit holders are required to photograph and mark GPS locations, photograph and describe stomach contents of euthanized snakes, file reports with the FWC within 36 hours of capture, and euthanize pythons onsite or transport live pythons to be euthanized at a location with veterinary facilities or deliver live pythons to a licensed recipient. Permit holders will be required to make at least five trips each calendar quarter. They also must visit each WMA at least twice during the year.
"We were able to collect some initial data during the first phase of this program that will help us determine the extent of the population on state-managed lands," said Scott Hardin, FWC exotic species section leader. "We want to continue allowing experts out there to ensure this exotic species does not spread any farther north in Florida."
Burmese pythons are a nonnative species to Florida but have spread throughout the Everglades region with populations estimated in the thousands.
Other reptiles of concern include Indian python, reticulated python, African rock python (southern and northern), amethystine or scrub python, green anaconda and Nile monitor lizard. Reptiles of concern may be kept as pets in Florida but owners are required to have a $100 annual permit from the FWC, which mandates caging requirements. Reptiles of concern more than 2 inches in diameter must be implanted with a microchip that identifies the animal. It is unlawful to allow them to escape or to release them into the wild.
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