Invasion of Burmese Pythons in South Florida

佛罗里达南部的缅甸蟒入侵

American English Podcast

2025-08-07

39 分钟
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In this wild episode, we dive deep into the Burmese python invasion in Florida’s Everglades, which is one of the most unexpected and dramatic ecological crises in U.S. history. It all started with exotic pet owners, relaxed laws in the '80s and '90s, and one catastrophic storm: Hurricane Andrew. From there, things spiraled. Thousands of snakes were released, some intentionally, others by accident, and they found paradise in the Everglades. Warm weather, endless food, no predators? That’s a snake's dream vacation... permanently. We’ll talk about: 00:58 - Introduction: Bears, Neighbors & the Python Cowboy 03:23 - The Everglades: An important ecosystem for Florida 05:53 - How Burmese Pythons got to South Florida 06:00 - The rise of python ownership as a trendy, edgy status symbol; Exotic Pets & Loose Laws 09:09 - From Pet to Predator: The Rise of the Python Population 11:17 - Hurricane Andrew & the Reptile Escape 18:25 - How Many Are Out There? Estimating the Python Population 19:59 - Are Pythons Dangerous to Humans? 22:01 - The Python Elimination Program (Paid Hunting) 24:17 - The Florida Python Challenge Explained 25:46 - What Happens to the Snakes After They’re Caught 28:11 - Can We Ever Win? An Uphill Battle 29:44 - Shana’s Creative Snake Solutions 30:22 - High-Tech Tools: Judas Snakes & eDNA 30:58 - Robo-Bunnies and Future Innovations By the end, you’ll see just how complex, challenging, and Florida this whole saga is. //SPONSORS ○ Brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at better help.com/AMERICANENGLISH and get on your way to being your best self. Mentioned in this Episode ⁠Season 4 Premium Content⁠ ⁠All Premium Content Seasons 1-3⁠ (+ discount on Season 4) Local Legends Video by Brad Leone (as heard in intro) Cowboy Python Interview with Joe Rogan (most popular segment) All Creatures: A Giant, The Burmese Python (learn more about the snake) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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  • The state recognized that there was a problem down here in the Everglades and they wanted to do something about it.

  • So they started the pilot python program and they hired a handful of contractors.

  • I was one of them.

  • They predicted in the first year we would find anywhere from 50 to 60 pythons.

  • In the first year we found over a thousand.

  • Hi, everybody.

  • My name is Shauna, and this is the American English Podcast.

  • My goal here is to teach you the English spoken in the United States.

  • Through common expressions, pronunciation tips, and interesting cultural snippets or stories,

  • I hope to keep this fun, useful, and interesting.

  • Let's do it.

  • We live in the Appalachians, which is a mountain range.

  • on the eastern side of the United States.

  • It's full of animals.

  • And so, on a regular basis, in our neighborhood, there are bears,

  • walking on the streets, deer, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons.

  • We're in the heart of nature.

  • And so, when I see neighbors on the street, it's a popular topic of conversation.

  • Our neighbor friend stopped by, and we started talking about snakes,

  • specifically the wild videos he'd watched by a man called the Python Cowboy.