Snakes, facts and information

Floridiains Find 500-Pound Ball Of 'Mating Pythons' As Reality Sets In On Fight Against Invasive Burmese Pythons

iStockphoto / Utopia_88

Southwest Florida has been overrun by Burmese pythons for years as population numbers of the invasive snake species balloons year after year. Field biologists from the Conservancy of Southwest Florida are on the frontlines for removal of these invasive snakes wreaking havoc on Florida's ecology and recently, they shared images of a rare 'mating ritual' where 11 Burmese pythons were coiled up in a 'mating ball' that totaled over 500 pounds of snakes.

A single Burmese python can lay between 50+ eggs at a time according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The 'Python Cowboy' caught a 16ft snake last year that had a whopping 60 eggs in its belly.

The bigger the snake, the more eggs she can hold. And that's a huge part of why it's important to remove the largest snakes from the wild to fight back the invasive species.

On the frontlines, field biologists have taken to using male snakes injected with radio tracking devices that then lead them to the large breeding females. It's a brilliant strategy as the males themselves are incapable of asexual reproduction and by nature will always be seeking out the biggest breeding Burmese python females.

One of these male snakes injected with a radio tracking device is what led Conservancy Biologist Ian Bartoszek and his team to the 'mating ball' of Burmese pythons several weeks ago. The Conservancy shared an image of the mating ball along with a caption from Ian Bartoszek about the reality of what they do:

With the image, Bartoszek said "For 10 years, we've been catching and putting them [Burmese pythons] down humanely. You can't put them in zoos and send them back to Southeast Asia. Invasive species management doesn't end with rainbows and kittens. These are remarkable creatures, here through no fault of their own. They are impressive animals, good at what they do."

Bartoszek recently caught another 16-foot Burmese python and I covered that story with images provided by the Conservancy.

What can be done about Burmese pythons in Florida?

Would you eat python? I would. I've eaten rattlesnake tacos before. I'd certainly give python a try. Why not?

That's a question recently posed in an article on ABC News but with relation to 'python farming.' A growing contingent of meat farmers believe that python farming may hold the key to sustainability.

Python meat is remarkably similar to chicken cutlets/fillets. Snake meat in general is a classic 'tastes like chicken' type of exotic meat. And given that Burmese pythons can grow 19+ pounds, this seems like an untapped meat source here in Florida.

As for why python farming as a meat source could be great for sustainability, conservationist Patrick Aust told ABC News "these animals are extremely good converters of food and particularly protein. Literally, they are specialists and making the most of very little." They're creatures that require very little to produce a lot. Sounds more efficient than cows, right?

Of course, getting people to eat python won't be easy. I can barely get my kid to eat pizza. But as population numbers of Burmese pythons continue to explode in Florida year after year, introducing python to the public as an 'exotic' meat served in tacos at roadside attractions in and around Everglades National Park could be a novel way of getting people talking about it.

Residents Displaced By Yakima Apartment Fire Try To Figure Out What's Next

The sounds of banging and yelling woke Michelle Anderson up early Monday morning. Above her basement unit inside the Buckingham Apartments in Yakima, dozens of residents rushed to warn others and leave the building as a fire quickly spread across the third floor.

Anderson and her roommate Ann, who only wanted to share her first name, exited the building with nothing but the clothes they had on and Anderson's three dogs. The two were among 60 people who were displaced by the fire by morning's end.

"I have nothing now," Anderson said while sitting inside the Summit View Church of Christ where the American Red Cross set up an emergency shelter. "I have my dogs and that's it. My apartment is destroyed, all the way completely destroyed."

Buckingham Apartments is pictured after Monday's fire Wednesday, March 6, 2024, in Yakima, Wash.

Evan Abell / Yakima Herald-Republic

The three-story building at 211 S. Naches Ave. was charred in the fire, which was called in before 5:40 a.M. Monday. The building had 20 units. 

Everyone inside the building safely escaped the fire. Two people were treated for smoke inhalation, one at the hospital. Firefighters went into the building to help people evacuate.

An investigation into the cause of the fire could take months, Yakima Deputy Fire Chief D.J. Goldsmith said. The fire left the building unstable, and it has been cordoned off for safety reasons.

Fire Chief Aaron Markham said Monday that the fire started on the third floor and got into the ventilation system, spreading into the attic, where it ignited sawdust insulation, causing the fire to further spread. The building was built in 1930.

Resources for residents

Red Cross officials said Thursday that 12 people are staying at the church shelter. There, they get three meals per day, a bed, showers and donated clothes. Kyle Oesterle, a volunteer with the Red Cross, said the shelter will likely be open for the next week or two as displaced residents find other accommodations.

Esther Magasis, director of the Yakima County Department of Human Services, said that from what she's heard, the majority of residents have found a place to stay with family or friends. Those who needed access to food and shelter went to places like the Red Cross shelter, the Yakima Union Mission Gospel or Camp Hope.

Magasis said while the Department of Human Services isn't working directly with residents, it is working with other organizations within the city to connect residents with different resources.

"A lot of the folks who were living in there had experienced homelessness in the past," Magasis said. "Our team was there with the Red Cross, Union Gospel Mission, Grace City Outreach, the (Yakima) housing authority just trying to help with intakes, coordination and identifying people's needs."

In the coming days, Magasis said, the various organizations will be working to find more long-term solutions or aid for the displaced residents.

An ATF agent looks for personal belongings of a former resident of Buckingham Apartments while investigating the cause of Monday's fire Wednesday, March 6, 2024, in Yakima, Wash.

Evan Abell / Yakima Herald-Republic Alarms

Some residents told the Yakima Herald-Republic that they did not hear fire alarms and were awakened by the fire itself, someone banging on their door or the sound of people running to leave the building. One resident said he heard an alarm from one end of the building, which he said was likely from a smoke detector inside a unit.

Goldsmith said he heard alarms in the building during the fire, but he didn't know if they were part of a connected system or were smoke detectors inside the units.

Under state law, landlords are required to provide working smoke alarms in a rental. Tenants are required to maintain them. Smoke alarms are required in each bedroom, in hallways outside of bedrooms and on each floor of a home.

Goldsmith said that the fire department found problems with the building's alarm system and a report was filed Feb. 9. On Feb. 20, some of the deficiencies were fixed, and it was turned over to the city's code compliance division.

Attempts to contact the division were not successful. Staff referred calls to Code Administration Manager Glenn Denman, who did not call back by press time.

Nothing left

Anderson said she wants to return to her apartment as soon as possible to see if she can find her wallet and a handful of stuffed dinosaurs that she said make her feel comfortable and at home.

Ann, a former resident of Buckingham Apartments, is pictured with her royal ball python named Dragon at the Red Cross emergency shelter Thursday, March 7, 2024, at Summit View Church of Christ in Yakima, Wash. Ann said she evacuated her apartment during the fire and wasn't able to grab Dragon or her pet turtle. She returned the following day to find both had survived the fire in their tank.

Evan Abell / Yakima Herald-Republic

Escaping the fire, Ann had to leave behind her pet turtle, Ninja, and her pet python, Dragon. She feared the worst for her pets. If they didn't burn in the fire, she was worried they froze to death in the cold.

While they were cold, the two animals were found alive Wednesday and Ann brought them back to the shelter.

As they wait for what's next, Anderson said she and many of the residents she's stayed in touch with will continue to struggle.

"There's a couple of them (residents) that we've talked to," Anderson said. "They're struggling just as much as we are. This is insane for us, we have nothing."

Anderson said Steven Davenport, one of the apartment's owner-shareholders, has kept in touch with them and will meet them soon to discuss the situation. Nineteen individuals are listed as owners on county Assessor's Office property records.

Davenport said the damage from the fire is so significant that the Buckingham Apartments likely will have to be demolished.

How to help

Betsy Robertson, a spokesperson for the Red Cross, said the various organizations providing help to displaced residents have enough food, toiletries and other resources to provide good care to them.

She emphasized that while monetary donations to the Red Cross Disaster Fund are always helpful, when it comes to emergency responses to situations like fires that leave residents without a home, finding volunteers willing to help care for these residents is just as impactful.

Chris Galvan talks to a Yakima firefighter and an ATF agent after they were able to find some he and his son's belongings in their old apartment at Buckingham Apartments Wednesday, March 6, 2024, in Yakima, Wash.

Evan Abell / Yakima Herald-Republic

"We are able to meet all of the immediate needs of folks," Robertson said. "These kinds of disasters happen more often than people realize. It's not always a huge apartment building; sometimes it's a single-family home. If people are really really compelled, if they ask themselves, 'Oh, I wish there was a way I could help,' the way to do that is to join our volunteers in Yakima."

To find out more about donating to or volunteering for the Red Cross in Yakima, call 509-457-1690.

290 Students From 13 Area Middle Schools Learn About Potential Careers At MPCC Event

Holding snakes and cockroaches, driving heavy machinery and even seeing a taser being fired; 290 middle school students from 13 schools in the area got to see and do it all at Mid-Plains Community College's annual Expanding Your Horizons Conference.

This year's conference was held on North Platte Community College's south campus on Thursday.

While in previous years the conference concentrated on introducing young girls in middle school to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, this year the college opened the day to all students.

Thirty-one presenters held sessions to inform students about their careers and give them more insight into what paths they can take going forward in their education.

Students picked four sessions to attend, including sessions on physical therapy, dentistry, veterinary, horticulture and even diesel technology.

"They're able to hear from those presenters and business professionals that work in that job every day to tell them what they can expect to be in that career," said Bridget Correll, who works in career services and is the testing center coordinator at MPCC. "It gives them a little insight into something that they could be and might love later on."

Correll said that all the presenters are volunteers from North Platte and surrounding areas, some of whom have presented at the event in prior years.

"The presenters are always so willing to come and share what they have with the students," Correll said. "They're always excited to come and it's a lot of energy with 300 middle school students on campus."

Lori Bergman, owner of Double Dips Ice Creamery in North Platte delivered the keynote speech. Bergman encouraged the students to believe in their abilities and follow their passions.

"Always know that you are capable of anything you set your mind to," Bergman said in her speech. "No matter what your dream is, I urge you to take the risk. If your dream doesn't scare you — you aren't dreaming big enough."

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