Snake catchers from India hunt pythons in Florida Everglades



The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission hopes the Irula tribesmen - well-known for their snake-catching skills - reveal a reliable way to track and spot the tan, splotchy snakes that all but disappear in the wetlands unless they're basking in the sun alongside a road or canal.

"Since the Irula have been so successful in their homeland at removing pythons, we are hoping they can teach people in Florida some of these skills," Kristen Sommers, head of the wildlife commission's exotic species coordination section, said in a statement Monday.



A year ago, the state's public "Python Challenge" netted 106 snakes. Over 1,000 people signed up for the monthlong hunt. In an average year, about 200 pythons are caught in Florida.