Two Burmese pythons, 23 eggs, 19 hatchlings removed from Big Cypress National Preserve

Michael Braun, Fort Myers News-Press
·2 min read
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A contractor removed two breeding female Burmese pythons, 19 hatchlings and 23 eggs from Southwest Florida on Monday, putting a dent in the invasive population.

The removal got underway shortly before midnight Monday when Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Matthew Rubenstein, on patrol in Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier County, encountered South Florida Water Management District python removal contractor Alex McDuffie.

McDuffie was catching and bagging a Burmese python hatchling.

Because the python appeared to be freshly hatched, McDufie and Rubenstein began searching the immediate area for more hatchlings.

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Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Matthew Rubenstein and South Florida Water Management District python removal contractor Alex McDuffie with a breeding female Burmese python and some of the 23 eggs and 18 hatchlings they found July 11, 2022.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Matthew Rubenstein and South Florida Water Management District python removal contractor Alex McDuffie with a breeding female Burmese python and some of the 23 eggs and 18 hatchlings they found July 11, 2022.

They hit pay-dirt when they found a female Burmese python on a nest containing 23 unhatched eggs and 18 python hatchlings.

Nearby, they found a separate nest site but no snakes were present. All the snakes and unhatched eggs will be turned over to Big Cypress National Preserve.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Matthew Rubenstein with a breeding female Burmese python and some of the 23 eggs and 18 hatchlings he and South Florida Water Management District python removal contractor Alex McDuffie found July 11, 2022.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Matthew Rubenstein with a breeding female Burmese python and some of the 23 eggs and 18 hatchlings he and South Florida Water Management District python removal contractor Alex McDuffie found July 11, 2022.

Pythons devastate populations of native mammals including rabbits, opossum and white-tailed deer – creatures that should feed the endangered Florida panthers instead of introduced Asian reptiles.

McDuffie reported to Rubenstein later that when he returned to the same site the following evening he removed a second breeding female, which measured 17 feet, 6 inches long.

In addition to python removal efforts on public lands, pythons may be humanely killed on private lands at any time with landowner permission — no permit or hunting license required — and the FWC encourages people to remove and kill pythons from private lands whenever possible.

South Florida Water Management District python removal contractor Alex McDuffie with a breeding female Burmese python he and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Matthew Rubenstein found July 11, 2022. They also recovered 23 eggs and 18 hatchlings.
South Florida Water Management District python removal contractor Alex McDuffie with a breeding female Burmese python he and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Matthew Rubenstein found July 11, 2022. They also recovered 23 eggs and 18 hatchlings.

About Burmese Pythons  

Burmese pythons are not native to Florida and negatively impact native species. They are found primarily in and around the Everglades ecosystem in south Florida where they prey on birds, mammals and other reptiles. A female Burmese python can lay 50 to 100 eggs at a time. More than 16,000 Burmese pythons have been removed since 2000. For more information on Burmese pythons, visit MyFWC.com/Python.

Connect with breaking news reporter Michael Braun: MichaelBraunNP (Facebook), @MichaelBraunNP (Twitter) or mbraun@news-press.com. 

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Pythons with eggs, hatchlings removed from Collier County's Big Cypress