Latest news with #Siewe
The Star
20-06-2025
- General
- The Star
Meet the 'Python Huntress', who has more than 600 dead pythons under her belt
Siewe is a professional hunter of the invasive Burmese python in Florida. — Photos: Reuters Amy Siewe was a successful real estate agent – but her life changed after she captured her first python in Florida's Everglades in the United States. 'I just had this fascination with snakes. So when I learned that there was a python problem here in Florida... I went on a hunt, I caught a 2.75m python, and that was it. I was hooked!' she said. Within two months she had sold her business in Indiana and moved to Florida to become a python hunter. Now, with more than 600 dead pythons under her belt, she is known as the 'Python Huntress' – one of a handful of women among hundreds of men hunting the invasive Burmese python in Florida's Everglades wetland ecosystem. 'This python is about 3m long,' she says as she wrestles a snake she has just captured in the tall grass in the middle of the night. 'It's probably about three years old, and to date it's eaten about 200 of our native animals, including mammals and birds.' The snakeskins are tanned into leather and dyed, then turned into fashion accessories and other goods. Burmese pythons have been spreading through the Everglades National Park since Hurricane Andrew in 1992 destroyed a breeding facility for the pet trade, freeing some 900 snakes. Originally native to South-East Asia, the python can grow up to 5.5m long and has a voracious appetite, consuming the local wildlife, including mammals, birds and even alligators. The Everglades is a unique subtropical ecosystem, with the largest continuous mangrove ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere. It is home to a vast array of unique species, including the endangered Florida panther, the American alligator and the American crocodile. But it provides no natural predators to the Burmese python, allowing the population of the invasive species to balloon. Scientists have noted dramatic declines in raccoons, opossums, bobcats, and rabbits in the region. 'There's an estimated 500,000 pythons out there,' Siewe said. Siewe and her boyfriend Dave Roberts measuring a python they caught in Ochopee, Florida. The pythons, which are hunted by night, cannot legally be transported alive, so they are killed on site after being captured and measured. Once home, Siewe skins the dead snakes, and then has the skins professionally tanned into leather to be made into purses, wallets, watch bands and other goods. It takes an average of 12 hours to catch one. 'So it's not that effective, right,' she admits. 'We're always going to have pythons in Florida. What we're trying to do is figure out how to decrease their numbers. Hunting right now is the most effective tool that we have.' – Reuters
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Python Huntress' takes on invasive snakes in the Everglades
By Maria Alejandra Cardona OCHOPEE, Florida (Reuters) -Amy Siewe was a successful real estate agent -- but her life changed after she captured her first python in Florida's Everglades. "I just had this fascination with snakes. So when I learned that there was a python problem here in Florida ... I went on a hunt, I caught a nine-foot (2.75-meter) python, and that was it. I was hooked!" she said. Within two months she had sold her business in Indiana and moved to Florida to become a python hunter. Now, with more than 600 dead pythons under her belt, she is known as the "Python Huntress" -- one of a handful of women amongst hundreds of men hunting the invasive Burmese python in Florida's Everglades wetland ecosystem. "This python is about 10 feet (3 meters) long," she says as she wrestles a snake she has just captured in the tall grass in the middle of the night. "It's probably about three years old, and to date it's eaten about 200 of our native animals, including mammals and birds." Burmese pythons have been spreading through the Everglades National Park since Hurricane Andrew in 1992 destroyed a breeding facility for the pet trade, freeing some 900 snakes. Originally native to Southeast Asia, the python can grow up to 18 feet (5.5 meters) long and has a voracious appetite, consuming the local wildlife, including mammals, birds and even alligators. The Everglades is a unique subtropical ecosystem, with the largest continuous mangrove ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere. It is home to a vast array of unique species, including the endangered Florida panther, the American alligator and the American crocodile. But it provides no natural predators to the Burmese python, allowing the population of the invasive species to balloon. Scientists have noted dramatic declines in raccoons, opossums, bobcats, and rabbits in the region. "There's an estimated 500,000 pythons out there," Siewe said. The pythons, which are hunted by night, cannot legally be transported alive, so they are killed on site after being captured and measured. Once home, Siewe skins the dead snakes, and then has the skins professionally tanned into leather to be made into purses, wallets, watch bands and other goods. It takes an average of 12 hours to catch one. "So it's not that effective, right," she admits. "We're always going to have pythons in Florida. What we're trying to do is figure out how to decrease their numbers. Hunting right now is the most effective tool that we have."
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ouch! Snake hunter explains how it feels to be bitten by a Burmese python
The News-Press and Naples Daily News recently caught up with Amy Siewe, famously known as the Python Huntress. Siewe recently gave a lecture at J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel. We asked her questions about the invasive Burmese Python for this special video series. Siewe became a python hunter in Florida after leaving a successful career in real estate. She was one of the first 100 hunters the state hired to hunt the invasive Burmese python, which is threatening Florida's native wildlife mostly in South Florida, but there are concerns the snake could migrate further north. More: Dancing with a python: Florida 'huntress' used quick moves to snag this squirrely snake Today's question focuses on the python's bite. Siewe has been bitten numerous times and we wanted to know what it feels like. Note: Pythons are not venomous. For the answer, watch the video at the top of this page. In Palm Beach County, 69 Burmese pythons have been captured since 2006, according to the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System, or EDDMapS. In addition, four have been found dead, and 24 sightings have been reported. Countless more of the invasive snakes likely have lurked undetected or unreported. 🐍 Read the full story here: Pythons are adapting, evolving and slithering around these parts of Florida Burmese pythons have been a persistent problem in Florida for years, significantly disrupting the local ecosystem. These invasive snakes have few natural predators, allowing their population to grow rapidly. The issue has become so widespread that people have turned to python hunting as a job. One of the most notable events is the annual Burmese Python Challenge, where participants compete for a grand prize by capturing as many pythons as possible. 🐍 Read the full story here: Python hot spot discovered in Palm Beach County: 5 things to know on invasive snake Diamond Walker is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at dkwalker@ Help support our journalism. Subscribe today Note to readers: The News-Press and Naples Daily News recently caught up with Amy Siewe, famously known as the Python Huntress. Siewe gave a lecture at J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel. We asked her questions about the invasive Burmese Python for this special video Dancing with a python: Florida 'huntress' used quick moves to snag this squirrely snakeToday's question focuses on snake gender: What is more challenging for a python hunter to catch? A male or female python?For the answer, watch the video at the top of this page. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Snake hunter explains feeling of bite from Florida Burmese python
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Q&A with the Python Huntress Amy Siewe: What does a 'road gift' mean for Florida hunters?
Note to readers: The News-Press and Naples Daily News recently caught up with Amy Siewe, famously known as the Python Huntress. Siewe gave a lecture at J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel. We asked her questions about the invasive Burmese Python for this special video series. More: Dancing with a python: Florida 'huntress' used quick moves to snag this squirrely snake Today's question drills down on "python hunter lingo." During her presentation at Ding Darling, Siewe shared with the audience what a 'road gift' means for python hunters who are out trying to manage the population of the snake that is wreaking havoc with the South Florida ecosystem. For the answer, watch the video at the top of this page. This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Python hunter answers questions about Florida's invasive snake
