Python Bowl Winner: "They're wiping out all of our native mammals"

US-ENVIRONMENT-SNAKES-FLORIDA-OFFBEAT

The guy who caught the most pythons during the 2020 Python Bowl is calling it a success.

Martin County trapper Mike Kimmel says tying the competition to the Super Bowl gave the issue of invasive Burmese pythons in the Everglades worldwide exposure. He says it was necessary.

"They're wiping out all of our native mammals, our small fur-bearing mammals. That works directly up the food chain. So now the panthers, the bears, they're preying exclusively on the large mammals in the Everglades. Our deer populations have totally plummeted."

Kimmel caught eight pythons during the ten day competition. It was good enough to win him an ATV.

80 snakes in all were rounded up.

Kimmel made history last March when he caught the state's 2,000th python.

He owns and operates Martin County Trapping and Wildlife Rescue.

Photo: Getty Images


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