Latest news with #IanBartoszek
Economic Times
5 hours ago
- Science
- Economic Times
Conservancy of Southwest Florida sets record with over 6,300 pounds of Burmese Pythons removed in landmark season
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has removed a record 6,300 pounds of Burmese pythons this season, bringing their total to over 40,000 pounds since 2013. Using radio telemetry and "scout snakes," they target breeding females, preventing an estimated 20,000 eggs from hatching. This effort aims to protect native wildlife from the devastating impact of this invasive apex predator. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has announced a record-breaking season in its ongoing battle against the invasive Burmese python, capturing and removing 6,300 pounds of snakes from a 200-square-mile area stretching from Naples through the Western Everglades. This latest haul pushes the organization's total to over 20 tons—more than 40,000 pounds—of Burmese pythons removed since the program's inception in biologist and Science Project Manager Ian Bartoszek, who leads the Conservancy's python program, highlighted the significance of this milestone: 'Removing more than 40,000 pounds of snake, carried out through some of Florida's unrelenting wildlife habitats, is a heavy-lifting assignment. But, through years of dedicated research, we've developed science-based methods to track this apex predator more effectively and mitigate its damage to our native wildlife population .'The Conservancy's innovative approach used radio telemetry and tagged male 'scout snakes' to locate reproductive females, particularly during the November-to-April breeding season. This targeted strategy has prevented an estimated 20,000 python eggs from hatching since 2013, a critical step in curbing the species' explosive population pythons, which can reach lengths over 18 feet and weights exceeding 200 pounds, have devastated native wildlife in South Florida, preying on more than 85 species including deer, bobcats, rabbits, and birds. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) classifies the python as a prohibited species, noting its established range from just south of Lake Okeechobee to Key Largo and Collier Moher, President and CEO of the Conservancy, emphasized the broader impact: 'The python team's work of reducing the local population of the invasive snake allows our native wildlife safer conditions to recover.' The Conservancy also collaborates with organizations like the USGS, University of Florida , and South Florida Water Management District, and relies on private philanthropy and grants for the annual Florida Python Challenge approaching (July 11–20), the state continues to encourage public participation in python removal efforts, offering year-round opportunities to help protect Florida's unique ecosystem.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Conservancy of Southwest Florida sets record with over 6,300 pounds of Burmese Pythons removed in landmark season
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has announced a record-breaking season in its ongoing battle against the invasive Burmese python, capturing and removing 6,300 pounds of snakes from a 200-square-mile area stretching from Naples through the Western Everglades. This latest haul pushes the organization's total to over 20 tons—more than 40,000 pounds—of Burmese pythons removed since the program's inception in 2013. Wildlife biologist and Science Project Manager Ian Bartoszek, who leads the Conservancy's python program, highlighted the significance of this milestone: 'Removing more than 40,000 pounds of snake, carried out through some of Florida's unrelenting wildlife habitats, is a heavy-lifting assignment. But, through years of dedicated research, we've developed science-based methods to track this apex predator more effectively and mitigate its damage to our native wildlife population .' The Conservancy's innovative approach used radio telemetry and tagged male 'scout snakes' to locate reproductive females, particularly during the November-to-April breeding season. This targeted strategy has prevented an estimated 20,000 python eggs from hatching since 2013, a critical step in curbing the species' explosive population growth. Live Events Burmese pythons, which can reach lengths over 18 feet and weights exceeding 200 pounds, have devastated native wildlife in South Florida, preying on more than 85 species including deer, bobcats, rabbits, and birds. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) classifies the python as a prohibited species, noting its established range from just south of Lake Okeechobee to Key Largo and Collier County. Rob Moher, President and CEO of the Conservancy, emphasized the broader impact: 'The python team's work of reducing the local population of the invasive snake allows our native wildlife safer conditions to recover.' The Conservancy also collaborates with organizations like the USGS, University of Florida , and South Florida Water Management District, and relies on private philanthropy and grants for funding. With the annual Florida Python Challenge approaching (July 11–20), the state continues to encourage public participation in python removal efforts, offering year-round opportunities to help protect Florida's unique ecosystem.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Battle against invasive pythons enjoys record season, and a milestone
The battle against the invasive Burmese python by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida reached a milestone after a record removal season. The removal season coincides with the breeding season of the python from November through April, with the Conservancy staff tracking 40 pythons, known as scout snakes that help in locating reproductive pythons. There was a record 6,300 pounds of the invasive snake removed this season, bringing the total to a hefty milestone of more than 20 tons of Burmese pythons removed from a 200-square-mile area in Southwest Florida since 2013, the Conservancy announced. 'We have been on the front line of the invasive python battle for more than a decade,' said Ian Bartoszek, wildlife biologist and Conservancy Science Project Manager, who oversees the python program. 'Removing more than 40,000 pounds of snake, carried out through some of Florida's unrelenting wildlife habitats, is a heavy-lifting assignment. But, through years of dedicated research, we've developed science-based methods to track this apex predator more effectively and mitigate its damage to our native wildlife population.' The Conservancy uses radio telemetry to track the tagged male pythons across a 200-square-mile area of public and private land from Naples through the Western Everglades. Since 2013, the team has stopped an additional 20,000 python eggs from hatching. The program is expected to expand into new areas, as the long-term monitoring has shown signs of positive effectiveness, as scout snakes are increasingly struggling to locate mates, or when they do, they are smaller in size. 'The Burmese python is decimating native wildlife across their invaded range,' said Rob Moher, President and CEO of the CSF. 'Here at the Conservancy, we also rehabilitate thousands of injured native animals in the von Arx Wildlife Hospital and release them back into the wild each year. The python team's work of reducing the local population of the invasive snake allows our native wildlife safer conditions to recover.' Also on FTW Outdoors: Texas fisherman catches record bass, releases it 3 months later The Conservancy's python program is one of the leading research and removal initiatives globally. It is credited with capturing the largest female python ever documented to date; it measured 18 feet and weighed 215 pounds. It also captured the largest male python on record at 16 feet and 140 pounds. 'Burmese pythons are impressive creatures that are here from no fault of their own,' Bartoszek said. 'As wildlife biologists, we have tremendous respect for all snake species. However, we understand the impact invasive pythons are having on the biodiversity in our area, and we humanely remove them from the ecosystem as part of the Conservancy's commitment to protecting our water, land, wildlife, and future.' This article originally appeared on For The Win: Battle against invasive pythons enjoys record season, and a milestone
USA Today
9 hours ago
- Science
- USA Today
Battle against invasive pythons enjoys record season, and a milestone
Battle against invasive pythons enjoys record season, and a milestone The battle against the invasive Burmese python by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida reached a milestone after a record removal season. The removal season coincides with the breeding season of the python from November through April, with the Conservancy staff tracking 40 pythons, known as scout snakes that help in locating reproductive pythons. There was a record 6,300 pounds of the invasive snake removed this season, bringing the total to a hefty milestone of more than 20 tons of Burmese pythons removed from a 200-square-mile area in Southwest Florida since 2013, the Conservancy announced. 'We have been on the front line of the invasive python battle for more than a decade,' said Ian Bartoszek, wildlife biologist and Conservancy Science Project Manager, who oversees the python program. 'Removing more than 40,000 pounds of snake, carried out through some of Florida's unrelenting wildlife habitats, is a heavy-lifting assignment. But, through years of dedicated research, we've developed science-based methods to track this apex predator more effectively and mitigate its damage to our native wildlife population.' The Conservancy uses radio telemetry to track the tagged male pythons across a 200-square-mile area of public and private land from Naples through the Western Everglades. Since 2013, the team has stopped an additional 20,000 python eggs from hatching. The program is expected to expand into new areas, as the long-term monitoring has shown signs of positive effectiveness, as scout snakes are increasingly struggling to locate mates, or when they do, they are smaller in size. 'The Burmese python is decimating native wildlife across their invaded range,' said Rob Moher, President and CEO of the CSF. 'Here at the Conservancy, we also rehabilitate thousands of injured native animals in the von Arx Wildlife Hospital and release them back into the wild each year. The python team's work of reducing the local population of the invasive snake allows our native wildlife safer conditions to recover.' Also on FTW Outdoors: Texas fisherman catches record bass, releases it 3 months later The Conservancy's python program is one of the leading research and removal initiatives globally. It is credited with capturing the largest female python ever documented to date; it measured 18 feet and weighed 215 pounds. It also captured the largest male python on record at 16 feet and 140 pounds. 'Burmese pythons are impressive creatures that are here from no fault of their own,' Bartoszek said. 'As wildlife biologists, we have tremendous respect for all snake species. However, we understand the impact invasive pythons are having on the biodiversity in our area, and we humanely remove them from the ecosystem as part of the Conservancy's commitment to protecting our water, land, wildlife, and future.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
These Snake Trackers Have Removed More than 20 Tons of Invasive Pythons from Florida… and They're Just Getting Started
A conservation group in South Florida that's working to reign in the state's Burmese python problem announced a new milestone in those efforts Monday. After more than a decade of intensive efforts, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida says its team of scientists and trackers has caught, killed, and removed more than 40,000 pounds of the giant, invasive snakes from a roughly 200-square-mile area near Naples. That's over 20 tons worth of Burmese pythons, which rank at the very top of Florida's least wanted list of invasive species. Stretching up to 18 feet long, these cold-blooded killers from Southeast Asia have no real natural predators in Florida, and they can they can swallow animals as large as (or even larger than) they are — in other words, pretty much everything that lives in the Everglades. From woodrats and marsh rabbits to gators and full-grown whitetails, these huge snakes are literally eating their way through the native food web. Read Next: Largest Python Ever Captured in Florida Is Nearly 18 Feet Long 'The list of species [being impacted by these snakes] is up to around 85,' Ian Bartoszek, a wildlife biologist and the Conservancy's science coordinator, told Outdoor Life last week, a few days before the organization's Monday announcement. 'It's easier to make a list of what pythons are not eating, than it is to list all the animals that have been found inside pythons to date.' This is precisely where python removal programs come into play. And while studying and researching the reptiles is part of the Conservancy's wider focus, the main goal of its python program is to remove as many snakes from the landscape as possible. Led by Bartoszek and his research partner, Conservancy biologist Ian Easterling, the team has been tracking down pythons amid the dense forests and swamps of the Everglades since 2013. Bartoszek's team of biologists aren't the only ones doing this conservation work. There are several licensed python trackers that get paid for the snakes they remove, and the state invites everyday snake hunters to compete in the highly-publicized Python Challenge each year. But the trackers at the Conservancy are arguably the most effective and efficient removal team in the region because of their science-based approach to finding Burmese pythons, which — despite their size — are uncannily good at hiding. By taking male pythons and fitting them with trackers, Bartoszek's team lets the snakes do most of the seeking. During breeding season, which runs from November through April, the team uses radio telemetry equipment to follow these male 'scout snakes' as they seek out receptive females. The team currently has around 40 scout snakes in its program, and they've helped catch some of the biggest pythons ever recorded in the Florida Everglades. The scouts have also led the team to some major scientific discoveries, including the first-ever photographs of a Florida python swallowing a full-sized deer. 'I don't want to make it sound too melodramatic, but we do get connected to these animals,' Bartoszek says, referring to one scout snake, named Loki, that died after six years in the program. 'It happens when you stay on the tail of a creature for multiple years.' Utilizing their scouts this way, the team can target the biggest breeding females and remove them from the population, along with their eggs and/or hatchlings. The Conservancy says they've kept around 20,000 python eggs from hatching this way. This past winter was also their most productive removal season to date. According to Monday's announcement, the Conservancy took out roughly 6,300 pounds of python in a matter of months. That eye-popping figure is counterbalanced by the staggering and almost incomprehensible size of Florida's python problem. The snakes now inhabit more than a thousand square miles in the southern reaches of the Sunshine State — a region so vast and dense that wildlife managers can only warrant a guess as to the overall population of Burmese pythons there. (Current estimates by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission are between 100,000 and 300,000 snakes.) In many ways it's an unwinnable battle, with python removal teams like Bartoszek's doing the best they can to hold the line — or in some cases, slowly push it back. Read Next: Florida Python Trackers Remove Two Giant Mating Balls in Record Day of Snake Hunting 'People tend to ask, 'Are we making a dent?' And I would say yes,' Bartoszek says. 'Especially in those areas where we've had the scout method underway for over a decade. Those [males] are ranging further afield and finding fewer females, and the ones that they do find are typically smaller size classes … And we hope to see those similar patterns keep developing over the next couple years and into the future.'
