The Python Problem Just Got Stranger
Musings from John David’s Side Hustle
Last week, I joked about two things creeping into my neighborhood.
Peacocks. And eventually, pythons. (You can catch up here: Booktok, Peacocks and Pythons.)
The peacocks are already here. Turns out, the pythons are too!
After publishing that post, I checked a Python sighting tracker, which does in fact exist at: https://www.eddmaps.org/distribution/viewmap.cfm?sub=20461
I’m already surrounded. Notice the words “My House” in the middle of the image above. And see the image of a dead python found on the road about a mile and a half from Casa David. The incursion has already begun.
What is going on?
Shortly thereafter, I came across a headline from the Associated Press: Robot rabbits the latest tool in Florida battle to control invasive Burmese Pythons in Everglades.
Yes, really.
Burmese pythons have been spreading through the Florida Everglades for decades.
It is the perfect environment for them. Few predators. Vast terrain. Endless food supply.
The consequences have been severe. Native mammal populations have collapsed in many areas. Entire parts of the ecosystem have been reshaped by a predator that does not belong there.
And despite years of effort, pythons remain incredibly hard to find.
They blend in. (Pretty sure it’s the camouflage.) They move silently. They reproduce at a scale that is hard to contain.
Authorities have tried nearly everything:
Dogs. Too dangerous in the heat and terrain.
Drones with infrared. Limited success.
Large-scale hunts. Helpful, but not enough.
Which brings us to the latest idea.
Enter the Robotic Bunny
The strategy is as strange as it sounds.
Set up a Teddy Ruxbin-esque rabbit. Elevate it slightly above the ground. Spray it with rabbit pheromones. Add motion-triggered cameras.
And then wait.
When a python approaches, the system captures the movement and alerts wildlife officials who dispatch a python bounty hunter. Guess what? It works.
And here is the kicker. Each setup costs about $4,000. Feels a bit “no-bid,-government-project-pricey” to me, but I digress.
(Apparently, they floated the idea of using actual bunnies…one can only imagine.)
Still, the program is expanding. Which means it is working well enough to justify scaling up.
So if you are ever trudging through the Everglades and see a slightly unsettling mechanical bunny sitting alone on a platform and looking appetizing, you are not imagining things. It’s python bait.
Quick Publishing Update
Some early momentum is building for the second book in my series, The Pawn. I recently received a strong write-up from the Leaf Bound Review:
“The Pawn is a stellar sequel to The Bystander… The book is written with the perfect level of detail and pacing, resulting in an immersive experience. In reading the book, I was zipped away on this zany and captivating narrative.” (Link to full review.)
Deeply humbling.
And the audiobook for the first book in the series, The Bystander, drops April 21 and is available for pre-order. The Pawn is on track for its May release.
If you have been meaning to read The Bystander, now is the perfect time to get ahead of book two.
If you live in South Florida, are you worried about pythons? If you live outside South Florida, are you glad you don’t have to worry about pythons?
Have a great week.
— John David
No pythons in MA but we have winter which was a doozy this year. I’ll take the snow!