Scientists sacrifice delicious opossums to fight Florida’s invasive pythons
Scientists plan to use opossums fitted with tracking collars as bait to locate and remove invasive Burmese pythons from Florida's Everglades. The opossums will help conservationists track the pythons by transmitting signals from inside the snakes' stomachs.
Researchers are planning to use opossums to fight Florida's invasive python problem. The opossums will be fitted with tracking collars and released into the Everglades, where they will likely be eaten by Burmese pythons. The collars will transmit signals from inside the snakes' stomachs, allowing scientists to locate and remove the invasive predators. This method is being tested at Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Key Largo, where at least 40 opossums will be deployed. The goal is to thin python numbers and restore balance to the native ecosystem. The pythons, which can grow up to 20 feet long, have been decimating native animal populations since their introduction to the Everglades in the 1970s.
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