Florida’s Everglades are teeming with gigantic, invasive snakes, however a fluffy, high-tech answer is poised to assist.
The state is popping to robotic stuffed rabbits to assist entice invasive Burmese pythons, that are disrupting the state’s fragile wetland ecosystems and harming its native species by gobbling up meals sources. Florida is recurrently on the hunt for the pythons because of the risk they pose to the state’s furry fauna, a lot of which depend as prey for the large snakes.
The College of Florida and the South Florida Water Administration District developed the python-hunting tech this yr, crafting remote-controlled, solar-powered stuffed rabbits that look and even scent like the true factor. The robo-rabbits additionally emit a practical warmth signature, sending the message to heat-sensing snakes in close by swamps that dinner is served.
Unbeknownst to the snakes, the robotic rabbits are additionally outfitted with cameras that scan for pythons who’ve taken an curiosity in them. When one of many invasive snakes is noticed, an alert prompts the district to ship out a particular python removing agent to deal with enterprise.
“Invasive pythons are one of the harmful and dangerous species in America’s Everglades,” in line with the South Florida Water Administration District’s web site. “Their aggressive predation on native wildlife robs panthers, raptors, bobcats, and different native predators of their major meals sources.”
The python drawback is so unhealthy that the state hosts an annual hunt, often called the Florida Python Problem. This yr, the 10-day competitors attracted 934 python hunters from 30 states across the nation. Final month, the members culled 294 invasive pythons, including to the 1,400 eliminated for the reason that contest first launched in 2013.
A single competitor took dwelling the $10,000 grand prize this summer season by eradicating 60 Burmese pythons—fairly a feat, contemplating that the large nonvenomous snakes can attain between 6 and 9 toes lengthy on common. Firearms aren’t allowed within the contest, so contestants handle to wrangle the snakes by hand.
