Everglades pythons as of now are 1,000 fewer in number after select hunters started being brought in to track and kill the invasive snakes on state lands in South Florida last March, The Miami Herald reported.
On Tuesday, the South Florida Water Management District documented the 1000th Burmese python to be brought in.
It was Hunter Brian Hargrove, who has caught 115 snakes over the last year, who reeled in the 11-foot, two-inch male snake on Friday – a catch that he called "bittersweet" given his love for snakes.
"But I also love the Everglades," he explained, according to the Herald. "I grew up here and it’s not the same. You don’t see the same fish. You don’t see any mammals. All you really see are pythons."
Over the last three decades, the population of Burmese pythons appearing in the Everglades National Park in south Florida has risen dramatically, to the extent that experts fear it is upsetting the delicate balance of the national park’s food chain.
Scientists conducted a study to examine the impact the snakes had on the declining mammal populations within the park and their findings suggested there was a definite link.
In response, various initiatives have been launched over the years in a bid to catch the snakes, but they have all been largely unsuccessful.
The state's Python Challenge offered a $1,500 prize for the hunter who bagged the most snakes and another $1,000 for corralling the largest python.
It drew widespread attention in 2016, but less than 200 snakes were caught and officials had to go back to the drawing board, the Herald said.
Several months ago, the district enlisted the help of about 25 skilled hunters and offered a bounty for the invasive snakes.
The campaign resulted in 160 snakes being snagged in just two months and the hunt became a regular affair.
The initiative has drawn backlash from animal rights groups that felt the welfare of the pythons was being compromised.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said "bounty-like efforts to eradicate invasive species have been scientifically proved not to work."
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.