duder said

You can probably take them to the humane society or call up a zoo or animal rehab center.  The FWC (Fish and Wildlife Commission) also has "amnesty" days where you can just drop off whatever exotic pet you no longer want with no questions asked.

I think the only effective strategy that may have worked early on would have been to have an open season for licensed hunters to reduce the population. But even that probably never would have put a dent in the population.  They have the perfect storm of environmental factors that will allow them to colonize the area quickly,  high reproductive rate, no predators, and amazing camoflauge.  In the field you could be standing 3 feet from a 15' python and never know it.  Unfotunately like the lionfish I think the pythons are here to stay.

They have this, but to your later point, their reproductive rate is insane and the offspring start out a healthy 18" long.

They did have a small program at first to try and hunt some, but I think the state limited it way too much and only a handful of permits were given out.  They have opened up the season now, but the main problem is that most of the area down there is in the Everglades National Park which has limited to no hunting allowed.  The only positive for now is that the snakes can't handle the cold weather so they are limited to the southern portion of the state, but I think that will only temporarily control them as well.  Over time they will adapt and learn to seek out warm areas (ex. abandoned buildings, sewers, gopher tortoise burrows, etc.) as they slowly move north.  Lionfish are a shallow reef species in their native range but they were seeing them in 200' of water off the carolinas years before they showed up on our coastal reefs.  To quote a line from Jurassic Park, "Nature will find a way".

Exit39 said

or put it down sidney greens pants.

haha, what!?! 

duder said

They did have a small program at first to try and hunt some, but I think the state limited it way too much and only a handful of permits were given out.  They have opened up the season now, but the main problem is that most of the area down there is in the Everglades National Park which has limited to no hunting allowed.  The only positive for now is that the snakes can't handle the cold weather so they are limited to the southern portion of the state, but I think that will only temporarily control them as well.  Over time they will adapt and learn to seek out warm areas (ex. abandoned buildings, sewers, gopher tortoise burrows, etc.) as they slowly move north.  Lionfish are a shallow reef species in their native range but they were seeing them in 200' of water off the carolinas years before they showed up on our coastal reefs.  To quote a line from Jurassic Park, "Nature will find a way".

Any chance the State could pitch a reality show where people hunt the pythons in the glades?  I'd watch that!  Correct the ecological invasion ;)