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Drones Take to the Skies to Hunt Everglades Pythons
10 Oct
Summary
- Drones with radio trackers or cameras are being tested to find invasive pythons.
- Burmese pythons threaten native wildlife and cause mammal population declines.
- This new drone technology aims to improve detection and reduce costs.
In an innovative effort to manage invasive Burmese pythons, scientists in the Florida Everglades are now employing drones to survey the landscape from above. This technology, tested by the U.S. Geological Survey, utilizes uncrewed aircraft systems fitted with either radio tracking gear or cameras. The goal is to enhance the efficiency of detecting and tracking these elusive snakes, a task traditionally hampered by the challenging terrain and the pythons' camouflage.
Burmese pythons are a significant ecological concern, having become established across the Everglades and severely impacting native mammal populations. Their large size, with some specimens exceeding 17 feet, makes them difficult to spot. Ground-based searches are both labor-intensive and costly. The new drone-based method promises to cover vast, wet, and dense areas more rapidly than human teams.
The initiative, which began with drone training for Department of the Interior scientists, is still in its evaluation phase. Researchers are focused on determining the reliability of locating both tagged and untagged snakes and assessing the potential long-term savings in time and cost across various habitats. The success of this aerial approach could revolutionize python control efforts.
