Halfway through state python hunt, tally is up to 66 snakes

MIAMI (AP) – The tally is up to 66 in a state-sanctioned hunt for invasive Burmese pythons.

With two weeks left in the monthlong hunt, that’s just two shy of the 2013 total.

The snakes are euthanized and turned over to researchers who are looking for ways to curb the python population in Florida’s Everglades.

University of Florida biologist Frank Mazzotti says most of the snakes caught so far this year have been found along the Tamiami Trail.

Mazzotti tells The Miami Herald that one hunter turned in a 15-foot python on Friday. Mazzotti says necropsies of the pythons have found mostly mammal hair in the snakes’ stomachs.

Chilly temperatures may be aiding hunters. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman Carli Segelson says cold, sunny days are ideal for python hunting.