Imagine a rabbit sitting quietly in the Everglades. Except this one is not real.<\/p>\n
Researchers at the University of Florida are deploying high-tech decoys designed to mimic the signals Burmese pythons associate with prey. The goal is simple: lure the invasive snakes out of hiding and make them easier to find and remove.<\/p>\n
The fake rabbits can produce several cues pythons use when hunting, including movement, scent, vibrations and heat.<\/p>\n
“Pythons are attracted to mammals. The reasons that we’ve seen rapid declines in the Everglades of many mammalian species. And we’re trying to simulate that by creating the smell, the movement, the visualizations, the vibrations on the ground, the heat signatures,” said UF professor Robert McCleery, the lead researcher behind the project.<\/p>\n
The project is funded by the South Florida Water Management District, with the technology being developed in partnership with REWYLD.<\/p>\n
Why fake rabbits?<\/p>\n
For python hunters, the biggest challenge is often not capturing the snake. It’s finding it.<\/p>\n
Bayo Hernandez, a python hunter working in the Everglades, says that search can take hours.<\/p>\n
“The average time that I really spend out here on a daily basis is, you know, five hours,” Hernandez said.<\/p>\n
The idea behind the decoys is to bring the python to a known location instead of forcing hunters to search miles of difficult terrain.<\/p>\n
“The ultimate goal is to develop this technology and to work with existing trappers… to deploy this in the Everglades, not only to help remove pythons, but to do it efficiently and effectively,” said Jean Paul De Desrochers with REWYLD.<\/p>\n
What makes the rabbits so realistic?<\/p>\n
Researchers currently have about 90 decoys deployed across the Everglades as they test which signals are most effective at attracting pythons.<\/p>\n
According to McCleery, each rabbit can be programmed differently. Some emit heat, while others produce scent, movement, vibrations or a combination of all four.<\/p>\n
“We have about 90 out right now, roughly, and give or take, you know, we’ve got rabbits and we can turn on heat or we can turn on scent, or we can turn on vibrations, and we can turn on movements,” he said.<\/p>\n
The devices also have to withstand South Florida’s harsh environment.<\/p>\n
The decoys are elevated to protect them from flooding and rain, while protective netting helps keep other animals from interfering with the equipment.<\/p>\n
“It’s just designed to withstand the environment around it,” De Desrochers said.<\/p>\n
Once a python arrives, AI takes over<\/p>\n
Attracting a python is only part of the plan.<\/p>\n
Researchers are also working on technology that can identify when a python approaches a decoy and immediately alert nearby trappers.<\/p>\n
“With our technology and AI centers the Python and keeps it there, trappers that are in that area will then get pinged to a certain area. Then they can go to that location and safely remove it and euthanize it to help expedite that process,” De Desrochers explained.<\/p>\n
And despite what some people might expect, researchers say the snakes are not trying to attack the fake rabbits.<\/p>\n
“So the idea and I think that’s some of the misconceptions on the internet is that they’re going to try and bite or, you know, attack this or that’s not the thing they’re going to come. And what we found is they stayed there and they sat there. They don’t bite them,” McCleery said.<\/p>\n
That behavior is actually one of the reasons researchers believe the strategy could work.<\/p>\n
“They’re very patient,” he added.<\/p>\n
For hunters and researchers, that patience creates something they often don’t have in the field: time.<\/p>\n
Could this help slow the spread of Burmese pythons?<\/p>\n
The stakes extend far beyond removing individual snakes.<\/p>\n
Hernandez says Burmese pythons have already devastated native mammal populations across the Everglades.<\/p>\n
“95% of the small mammals have been eaten by them,” Hernandez said.<\/p>\n
He worries the problem could spread if pythons continue moving north in search of food.<\/p>\n
“Just like every animal, they do spread, they do migrate and if there’s no food down south… guess where they’re gonna go… up north looking for food,” he said.<\/p>\n
Researchers believe the technology could eventually help stop new populations from becoming established outside areas where pythons are already widespread.<\/p>\n
“Estimates are there’s around 300,000 pythons in our Everglades between Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade. We don’t have that problem yet in these other counties. And the goal is to deploy this technology to help conserve and avoid those issues moving forward,” De Desrochers said.<\/p>\n
How you can help<\/p>\n
One challenge researchers face is that field testing can only happen during part of the year.<\/p>\n
De Desrochers says most of the testing is limited to the warmer months, roughly from June through September. Once python activity slows down, researchers must wait until the following season to continue collecting data in the field.<\/p>\n
To speed up the project, the team hopes to build a dedicated laboratory at the University of Florida where the technology can be tested year-round.<\/p>\n
“We’re trying to build a lab that has a 24-hour, seven days a week, 365 days a year testing facility. So that way we can hone in on the technology,” De Desrochers explained.<\/p>\n
The fundraising goal is approximately $200,000, which would support additional research, technology development and the creation of the testing facility.<\/p>\n
The money would help researchers continue refining tools designed to locate and remove invasive Burmese pythons while allowing testing to continue throughout the year.<\/p>\n