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Yum-yum: Putting those invasive Florida pythons on the human menu

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https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-new...180976659/

EXCERPT: In Florida, scientists are trying to determine if Burmese pythons—an invasive snake species wreaking havoc on the Everglades—are safe to eat. If so, they could soon end up on dinner plates across the state, reports Alaa Elassar for CNN. Researchers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the state's department of health are in the process of testing mercury levels in the snakes' tissue to determine if they are safe to eat, reports Jared Leone for Cox Media Group. The researchers have their fingers crossed that the snakes are safe to eat, which could alleviate the struggle to eradicate the species from the Everglades.

[...] Burmese pythons blend right into the Everglades' tall grasses and muddy marshes, but they certainly do not belong there. Exotic pet dealers once imported the pythons from Southeast Asia to Miami, a major hub in the pet trade, and sold them as pets. At some point, owners started releasing their giant pet snakes into the wild, and the first one was caught in the Everglades in 1979, according to The Nature Conservancy. Now, tens of thousands slither through the marshes, devouring small native mammals like marsh rabbits, opossums and raccoons.

Scientists estimate the snakes are responsible for decimating 90 to 99 percent of the small mammal population [...] They're also known to strangle deer, alligators and birds. ... Donna Kalil, who hunts pythons ... tells ... that when the pythons are cooked properly, they can be quite delicious. "It's a great source of protein, so if we can find a safe way to use the whole animal and not just the skin, it might encourage more people to get involved in saving the Everglades," she tells Adriana Brasileiro for the Miami Herald... (MORE - details)

Catch & Cook GIANT PYTHONS In Florida!

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/WTiqXSAbRZA
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