Would you like to make some extra money, and at the same time run the risk of being eaten by a carnivorous reptile the size of a war canoe? If your answer is “yes,” I have an exciting opportunity for you. It’s called the Python Challenge, and I am not making it up. It’s a real event that was dreamed up by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which apparently was concerned that Florida does not seem insane enough to people in normal states.
The Python Challenge is a month-long contest; its purpose, according to the official website (pythonchallenge.org) is “to raise public awareness about Burmese pythons.” Q. What do they mean by “raise public awareness about?” A. They mean “kill.”
There’s no doubting the fact that pythons……especially Burmese pythons……are extremely deadly snakes. They are solid muscle, like all snakes, but the difference is that they are constrictors, and they crush their prey with deadly force. Imagine what even a 20 footer can do to an average-sized man, and you can see what it would do to a child. They are nothing to play around with, and must be treated with respect, as anyone who has been to a military jungle survival school can tell you. A 12-gauge shotgun loaded with 3 inch buckshot shells is very effective at close range, but I wouldn’t want to try using a machete on one of these snakes; you’re much too close to them, they can strike very quickly, and once they grab you, they wrap you in their coils……with predictable results.
Too bad there isn’t a way to eradicate zebra mussels, which are destroying the ecosystem of the Great Lakes and connected rivers.
Or kudzu, the bane of the South!
Burmese Pythons can grow to 20 feet. I am impressed.
On this basis we can institute a man vs snake contest in Australia. Most of our snakes are much smaller than 20 feet, so the contest should be correspondingly safer to enter.
The Inland Taipan almost never exceeds 8 feet, and is known for its gentle and kitten-like disposition.