Burmese pythons have caused a drastic decline in Florida’s Everglades wildlife population, resulting in some species disappearing from the area entirely.
The Burmese python found its way to the United States back in 1980 during the exotic pet boom. During the category five hurricane Andrew in 1992, a breeding facility was destroyed, releasing several snakes into the nearby swamps, and shortly after, a reproducing population was established.
Since then, the Burmese Python population has grown to an unmanageable size destroying habitat and surrounding wildlife populations.
According to one study, between 1997 and 2012, the Everglades’ raccoon, opossum, and bobcat populations dropped 99.3, 98.9, and 87.5 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, “marsh rabbits, cottontail rabbits, and foxes effectively disappeared,” the study stated.
