This is something we do in our work , and we have lots of knowledge and experience that helped us during the competition .”
A conservation biologist , the most important tool Steen brought to the competition is his high-level of expertise derived from years of extensive herpetological research . Among his latest research endeavors is developing a project with Auburn ’ s Canine Performances Sciences program to evaluate whether detection dogs can be used to find Indigo Snakes in south Florida . In the past he also helped out on an Auburn School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences project investigating how effective people and dogs are at finding Burmese Pythons in the same region , an experience that taught him a lot about locating pythons in the wild , as well as the unique set of challenges that come with hunting the enormous predators .
“ I have been bitten by almost every type of nonvenomous snake in the southeastern U . S . so I ’ m not particularly intimidated by Burmese Pythons . That said , capturing a python can be harrowing ,” said Steen . “ These are big and potentially dangerous animals . They have a serious bite , and it ’ s something you don ’ t want to take too lightly . Capturing a python needs to be done very carefully . You grab the snake from behind its head . If it is large , it is ideal to have another person there to control the coils . Once the snake is in hand , you can put it in a large pillow case .”
In addition to hunting pythons , Steen and his team took note of other wildlife present in the Everglades .
“ The Burmese Python is an invasive species , which means they are exotic and damaging to the native environment . They are from Asia and are likely here because of the pet trade ; owners have either purposefully or accidentally allowed their pythons to escape . Unfortunately , they have established a population in south Florida and are suspected to have played a role in the steep declines of native mammals , their prey ,” said Steen . “ The longest native snake in North America is the Eastern Indigo , which can reach a size of 8.5 feet long . Burmese Pythons , by contrast , can reach a maximum length of approximately 26 feet , dwarfing the native Eastern Indigo . There are concerns that the Burmese Python is competing with native species like the Eastern Indigo for food and space .”
According to the Python Challenge website , in addition to threatening native wildlife and preying upon wading birds , small mammals and other reptiles , the Burmese Python is spreading nonnative disease and parasites , thus damaging important recreational and commercial fisheries and agricultural crops . The environmental and economic threat posed by pythons is expected to continue as experts believe it might be impossible to eradicate the invasive snake from south Florida , despite efforts to reduce the population in the region .
24 Journey / Spring 2016