Wildlife managers are using unstuffed, robotic rabbits in their quest to rid the Everglades of the Burmese python, an apex predator not from around here that has already eaten most of the real bunnies.
It works like this: Buy plush bunny. Out goes the polyfill, in goes motors, cameras, heaters, a GPS, and solar panels to power the thing.
The remote-controlled “Robobunnies” are designed to lure the stealthy Burmese python out of hiding so trappers can pounce.
Burmese pythons have been slithering, eating, and reproducing throughout the Everglades since at least 1979. The animal has no natural predators on this continent, and have proven a threat not to humans but the wildlife population including mammals like Key deer, reptiles, amphibians, and birds.
According to a U.S. Geological Survey study, from around 2000 to 2011, both raccoon and opossum populations declined 99% and bobcats 87.5% Marsh rabbits, cottontail rabbits, and foxes disappeared during that time period
In recent years, Burmese pythons have moved into Lee and Collier counites, once even discovered in a backyard pool in Naples. The pythons have been found north of the Caloosahatchee River in Charlotte and Sarasota counties, and even 12 miles out in the Gulf.
Chris Dutton, a biology professor at the University of Florida, created the decoys to mimic marsh rabbits — a favorite of pythons — by producing warmth and movement that attract the snakes.
Dutton was unavailable for comment.
It is believed Burmese pythons are like sharks, but on the land: they will eat most anything.
Conventional wisdom says their numbers top 200,000, and out of every 100 pythons in the wild perhaps two will be discovered and removed. Females can lay hundreds of eggs, far more than originally thought.
A number of inventions have been created to try and discover and capture Burmese pythons. Some showed promise; others, not so much.
Perhaps most effective are the small group of paid python hunters who work tirelessly, driving along backwoods berms and other roads to visually find pythons and haul them out.
Tracking dogs were trained to sniff out python scent and bring hunters to within site of the snakes. The “IveGot1” app and hotline allowed anyone who saw a python to send a photo with the animals location.
Thermal drones were flown at night to detect pythons by determining the different ground and water temperatures so infrared cameras could pick up that contrast even though snakes are cold‑blooded.
Pheromone lures designed to mimic female scents to draw in roaming males during breeding season have been tested, which is a great idea in theory but the scent is tough to get right.
Much better success was achieved by tagging male pythons with radio transmitters, then releasing them back into the wilderness during breeding season to exploit the males’ never-ending desire for passion as they group together with a female.
The hope is the Robobunny will kickstart python eradication efforts without the limitations of people who get tired, or of caring for the animals back when the latest idea was real rabbits put in cages safely — but who had to have food, water, and cleaned-up cages.
Burmese python is so numerous in South Florida now the goal is no longer eradication, which is all but impossible, but finding something revolutionary to control or slow the spread of the constrictor.
Continued testing over the next several months may prove the Robobunny is that breakthrough wildlife managers have been hoping would be invented.
The decoys are designed to lure pythons out of their often wet and dark hiding places, making it easier for teams from the South Florida Water Managment District and other agencies to capture and remove them. Forever.
“Every python that is removed and eliminated is making a difference to protect the Everglades and South Florida’s diverse and native wildlife,” SFWMD managers wrote on its website. “Invasive pythons are one of the most destructive and harmful species in America’s Everglades."
Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by VoLo Foundation, a nonprofit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.
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