Florida Fourth Estate: How invasive species are disturbing Florida’s Everglades

Giant pythons have seemingly taken over the Florida Everglades and now the only way to get rid of them is to hunt them down and kill them.

Hunters are being recruited at $15 an hour to catch these apex predators. So how did these nonnative snakes become such a nuisance in Florida?

This week on Florida’s Fourth Estate we speak with William Graf from the South Florida Water Management District and he explains how these snakes have thrown the ecosystem in the Everglades off balance. Graf tells us why invasive species are so harmful to many of the things we love about the Sunshine State.

Is this a fight we can win? Graf explains why it’s a battle we cannot afford to lose.

Watch Florida’s Fourth Estate in the video player at the top of this story or download the episode on Apple Podcasts.

Florida’s Fourth Estate podcast with Ginger Gadsden and Matt Austin looks at everything from swampy politics to a fragile environment and even the crazy headlines that make Florida the craziest state in the Union.