{"id":112853,"date":"2025-09-01T22:39:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T22:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/112853\/"},"modified":"2025-09-01T22:39:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T22:39:07","slug":"researchers-deploy-120-robots-in-everglades-national-park-their-mission-is-to-help-catch-20ft-snakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/112853\/","title":{"rendered":"Researchers deploy 120 robots in Everglades National Park. Their mission is to help catch 20ft snakes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Wildlife experts in the Everglades National Park in Florida are using robotic rabbits to lure and trap Burmese pythons\u00a0to\u00a0control the invasive snakes.<\/p>\n<p>The pythons, which can grow up to 20ft (around 6m) long, &#8220;are established in the park due to accidental or intentional release of captive pet animals,&#8221; according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/ever\/learn\/nature\/burmese-python.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">National Park Service<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>With no natural predators, they have multiplied rapidly, preying on native animals, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/mammals\/raccoon-facts\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">raccoons<\/a>, deer, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/bobcat-guide\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">bobcats<\/a>, opossums, marsh rabbits and birds. Several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/doi\/full\/10.1073\/pnas.1115226109\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">studies<\/a> also show severe population declines of many small mammals in areas where pythons thrive, threatening the balance of this unique wetland habitat.<\/p>\n<p>Despite efforts to control the snakes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2024\/dec\/13\/the-burmese-python-problem-how-20ft-predators-are-wreaking-havoc-on-the-everglades\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">estimates<\/a> suggest there may be between 100,000 and 300,000 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/environment\/burmese-python-everglades-national-park\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Burmese pythons<\/a> in the South Florida region.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2165\" height=\"1377\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Burmese-python.jpg\" alt=\"Burmese python\" class=\"wp-image-139735\"\/>Burmese pythons can reach lengths of up to 20ft or 6m \u2013 that&#8217;s as long as a standard school bus. Credit: Getty<\/p>\n<p>Now, in a new attempt to increasing trapping rates, biologists from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfwmd.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">South Florida Water Management District<\/a> have come up with an intriguing new approach \u2013 and it involves robotic marsh rabbits.<\/p>\n<p>During the summer of 2025, 120 of these fluffy robots were deployed across the Everglades. Each one is solar powered and can be switched on and off remotely. <\/p>\n<p>Fitted with scent and heat emitters to mimic real prey, these decoys \u2013 which cost about $4,000 each \u2013 are designed to lure pythons into camera-monitored areas, making it easier for wildlife teams to locate and capture them.<\/p>\n<p>Early trials suggest the approach could be effective, offering a new tool in the ongoing battle to remove the snakes from the park.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2124\" height=\"1411\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Marsh-rabbit.jpeg\" alt=\"Marsh rabbit\" class=\"wp-image-139733\"\/>The marsh rabbit makes up part of the Burmese python&#8217;s diet. Credit: Getty<\/p>\n<p>Experts say combining conservation methods is crucial. In addition to robotic rabbits, trained dogs and professional python hunters are being deployed, and researchers are exploring genetic techniques to reduce breeding. Public education campaigns also urge pet owners not to release exotic animals into the wild.<\/p>\n<p>While eradicating the snakes entirely may not be possible, officials hope innovations such as the robotic rabbit programme can slow their spread and give native wildlife a chance to recover.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Biologists see a Burmese python consuming a deer. Credit: Conservancy of Southwest Florida<\/p>\n<p>Top image: Everglades habitat. Credit: Getty<\/p>\n<p>More wildlife stories from around the world<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Wildlife experts in the Everglades National Park in Florida are using robotic rabbits to lure and trap Burmese&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":112854,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[49,48,66,323],"class_list":{"0":"post-112853","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-science","11":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}