What’s Up With The Venomous Snakes Around Tampa Bay?

What's going on with all of the venomous snakes around the Tampa Bay area?

According to animal trappers in our community, more folks have called to report issues with venomous snakes.

Weldon Wildlife Removal takes care of removing animals from homes or neighborhoods. In the past, one call would come in each month, on average, to report a venomous snake. But looking at recent activity, as in over the past six months, two calls per week are related to poisonous snakes. Yikes!

Venomous snakes can be incredibly dangerous, not only to humans but to other animals. In Brooksville, Weldon Wildlife attend to a call that came in after two dogs endured rattlesnake bites. Sadly, one of the dogs passed.

Jeff Weldon is the owner of Weldon Wildlife Removal. He spoke with our friends at Fox 13 and explained how dangerous rattlesnakes can be. "It is very dangerous. The guys that we have, have been doing this for years. They're very well trained and they're very careful in what they do. They know where to put their hands, but yet collecting them is the most difficult part of the job." He went on to explain you need to carefully back away from a rattlesnake if you come upon one. "It's a one big muscle. They can strike up to a third of their body length, so if you have a six-foot snake, you don't have to be that close to it."

The big question is WHY is this happening. Why are more snakes coming around people and pets and developed neighborhoods. One explanation may have to do with the cold weather. Snakes like to be warn so they may head inside a home to get out of the cold. But that's only been going on recently. What explains the previous five months? Construction would presumably drive snakes into different areas, too.

Snakes like the woods, but Pinellas County has been built up to accommodate the dense population. Snakes look for a place to live and food, of course.

If you encounter a rattlesnake and have the unfortunate situation where one bites you, go straight to the hospital so you can take the anti-venom.

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They've been a problem for Florida for decades. Burmese pythons are not native to Florida. They are found in India, lower China, the Malay Peninsula and some islands of the East Indies. But pythons that have been released since the 1980s into the Everglades have messed up the ecosystem by feeding on everything from eggs to deer. The Florida Python Challenge offers up some big cash to would-be python hunters who can help rid the Everglades of the snakes that can grow to 20 feet long.

The Florida Python Challenge began at 8am Friday morning and runs through Sunday, August 14.

You do need to register and there's a $25 entry fee that goes to the Fish & Wildlife Foundation. You also need to take a training quiz and score at least 85%. A Florida hunting license is NOT required.

It's not illegal to eat python meat, but they do warn you that some pythons that have been removed from the Everglades have had high amounts of mercury.

You don't need to be a Florida resident to participate. Those under 18 can also participate but will need parental permission.

Thousands of dollars in prize money are up for grabs. The top prize is $2,500 for the one who catches the most. If you catch the longest python, you score $1,500. Those from the military are eligible for extra cash prizes up to $2,000.