The Latest Breaking News from Everglades

Burmese pythons have established a population beyond the Everglades

Florida's invasive Burmese pythons have moved into new territory, and state wildlife officials have now confirmed the move. The snakes are considered established in Charlotte County, in south-west Florida, well outside the Everglades region that has long been the centre of the problem. The finding matters beyond one county, because…

The Times of India · Oct 22

Florida pays python hunters $18 an hour, but every catch brings risks

A retired US Army veteran has spent 11 years hunting invasive Burmese pythons in Florida’s Everglades, earning up to $18 an hour plus extra pay for each snake caught. The demanding work involves searching dense wetlands, handling powerful reptiles and helping protect native wildlife from a predator linked to severe…

The Times of India · Oct 11

16-foot Burmese python tagged in Florida; scientists test drones to track snakes

Deep in the Florida Everglades, a vast and difficult landscape, scientists are trying a new way to find invasive Burmese pythons; they are looking from above. Researchers are testing small drones fitted with radio tracking equipment or cameras to locate snakes more efficiently, follow their movements across difficult terrain, and…

The Times of India · Oct 10

Florida Wants $250 Million More to Settle Alligator Alcatraz Bills: The Detention Center Is Gone, but the Costs Keep Growing

Florida is seeking another $250 million to pay immigration-related bills, including debts to companies that built and serviced Alligator Alcatraz, turning the controversial Everglades detention center into an expensive political aftershock for taxpayers.

Latin Times · Sep 4

In 2017, Florida scientists tested mosquitoes around Burmese pythons; three mosquito species contained python DNA in their blood meals, suggesting insects could help locate hidden giant snakes

Soon a mosquito may be assigned the job of hunting one of the Everglades’ most elusive predators. For the uninitiated, Burmese pythons are one of the most concerning invasive species in South Florida, as they can hide in dense vegetation, wetlands, and remote areas, making them notoriously difficult to find.…

The Times of India · Aug 25

Burmese pythons invaded Florida’s Everglades in the 1980s; decades later, the decline in raccoon, opossum and bobcat population number is staggering

Burmese pythons, an invasive species in Florida's Everglades, have caused severe declines in native wildlife over the past several decades. Field surveys found raccoon sightings fell by 99.3%, opossums by 98.9% and bobcats by 87.5% in areas where the snakes became established. Scientists say the geographic pattern and timing of…

The Economic Times · Aug 20

In 1997, Florida released Australian insects to fight an invasive tree. Nearly three decades later, its invaded range has fallen by about 75%

For decades, a tree from Australia spread across South Florida’s wetlands with little to hold it back. Melaleuca quinquenervia, often called paperbark, had been introduced to Florida for practical reasons, including landscaping and efforts to alter wet ground. It eventually escaped those uses and established dense stands across parts of…

The Times of India · Aug 20

In 1914, USDA researchers imported Australian melaleuca seeds into the United States. 100 years later, the fast-growing tree had conquered 500,000 acres of South Florida after being planted to help dry the Everglades

Australian melaleuca seeds were imported to the United States in 1914 for agricultural purposes. Later, the Army Corps of Engineers planted melaleuca groves to stabilize Everglades levees. A pilot also scattered seeds from the air to help dry the wetlands. This fast-growing tree eventually spread across half a million acres…

The Economic Times · Aug 19

In the 1980s, Burmese pythons invaded Florida’s Everglades, and decades later raccoons fell 99.3%, opossums 98.9% and bobcats 87.5%

For years, the Everglades was known for its tangled wetlands, alligators and an abundance of smaller mammals moving through the vegetation. Then an animal from south-east Asia began spreading through the marshes. Burmese pythons, most likely introduced through the pet trade, have established a breeding population in southern Florida and…

The Times of India · Aug 19

The Best Things to Do in Miami

Looking for the best things to do in Miami? Explore boat rentals, South Beach, Wynwood Walls, Little Havana, the Everglades, and more.

Latin Times · Aug 19