Not only are the two men from India in the region trying to capture these deadly reptiles but they are also teaching the local authorities about how they can confront this problem on their own, if it ever rears its head again.
Image for representation. Image source: Flickr
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which had invited the tribal men said in a statement, "Since the Irula have been so successful in their homeland at removing pythons, we are hoping they can teach people in Florida some of these skills."
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It should come as little surprise that these men have already captured 13 of these pythons so far. The Irula tribe are native people from the Nilgiris region. While there are only 25,000 of them in total, they are known across the world for being incredible snake and rat catchers. In fact, so notorious is their claim to fame, they are often dubbed as the "last forest scientists" in the world. They can accurately gauge different type of snakes, bite marks and even the direction they are going to go in. In the 60s, the Irula tribe was the primary reason for the country's robust snake-skin industry. Today, however, they are actively sought after in the preservation of wildlife and in pest-control as well and work with institutions like Madras Crocodile Bank Trust. To help preserve the various tribal belts of India, click here