Python Pete
Deep in the Florida Everglades, a beagle makes his way though the sawgrass. He’s Python Pete, and he works for the National Park Service.
-
Step 1:
-
The National Park Service
-
The Florida Everglades is one of the last remaining natural habitats in the world. It's home to alligators, crocodiles, rare birds and snakes.
It's not very often you see beagles making their way through the saw grass, but this is no ordinary beagle. His name is Python Pete and he's doing an important job working for the National Park Service.
-
Step 2:
-
The Problem
-
As far as I know, I think Python Pete is the first python tracking dog in the world.
Burmese pythons are not native to the Everglades and they are disrupting the natural ecosystem. Officials say the snakes were more than likely dumped by owners that could not care for them.
Adult pythons can grow to lengths of fifteen feet or more.
-
Step 3:
-
The Impact
-
Park officials hope dogs like Pete will help find the snakes so they can study them.
When people release these things they don't really think about the implications to the ecosystem. These animals are top predators. They eat anything and they are definitely eating our native wildlife.
-
Step 4:
-
Python Pete
-
Most dogs have a sense of smell that's thousands of times more keen than our own and his whole world just revolves around his nose.
As you can see, Pete's real excited to get this python behind me, but the main challenge for Pete will be to determine whether he's tracking a native species or an actual python and that'll determine whether Pete graduates or not.
-
Step 5:
-
The Moral Of The Story
-
Most pythons that are found, end up being euthanised. The moral of the story? Exotic animals should be left in their natural habitats or cared for by people who truly understand them.