The 2013 Python Challenge - simply a shame !!!

Some days ago I watched the news on television and one topic caught my attention. I want to share some of my thoughts with you about it.
Maybe some of you have already heard of “The 2013 Python Challenge” introduced by the responsible local authorities of Florida. 

Basically the whole challenge is about solving the snake problem. You might ask yourself which problem I am talking about. Well, over the last couple of years the colonies of Burmese pythons have taken over the Everglades. They spread rapidly and they are eating their way through a fragile ecosystem. These snakes can grow more than 17 (!!) feet long and produce over 35 eggs at a time. But they are not poisonous and are typically not considered a danger to humans. While browsing through the internet, I read that earlier this year there was found a 76-pound deer in the stomach of a 16-foot python. Must have been pretty hungry ;)

To sum it up, Burmese pythons aren’t poisonous but annoying.
So this mysterious challenge should solve the problem. It is about killing all Burmese pythons that might cross your way. And I have to say, I find that terrible!

The challenge started on January the 12^th and will last for one month. It takes place on the state’s public hunting lands and is separated into distinct contests: one for the general public (!!!) and one for state-licensed python hunters (cause there are professional python hunters in Florida). 

There is even a price for catching the longest serpent (rewarded with $1,000) and for catching the greatest number of snakes ($1,500).
All you have to do is completing an online training course of about 20 minutes and attending an open house about pythons and other invasive species. And then, just let the hunting game begin!

I can’t believe how it can be possible to set up such a challenge. I get the impression that people consider it to be a funny game. Everyone can take part in this contest. Nearly 800 people signed up and the vast majority — 749 — are members of the general public who lack the permits usually required to harvest pythons on public lands. That’s simply incredible!! 

For these people it is fun to sift armed through the lands and try to kill. I even saw pictures of fathers putting a gun in the hand of their sons. That’s ridiculous.
Hunting is something that should be taken seriously. Normally you need special permits. I would never ever let my child carry a gun and shoot at animals just for fun!
There has to be another way to solve this problem. Killing can’t be the appropriate method and I think it is a bad example of how to deal with difficult situations. Killing should never be a solution! Some Americans tend to forget this.