Fighting Florida’s Invasive Python Problem One Step at a Time

Despite miles of ground covered as we drove through the Everglades under the cover of darkness, it was impossible to ignore the fact that we hadn’t spotted a single mammal. The expansive wetlands in South Florida have long had a reputation for being rich in biodiversity and brimming with wildlife. But the sad reality today is that native species like mammals, birds, and reptiles that call the region home are now in perilously short supply. The culprit behind the ecological upheaval is a destructive and unyielding foe—an invasive species that doesn’t belong in the Everglades, but whose successful adaptation to its new environment has had a devastating impact: the Burmese python.

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Invasive species pose a severe global threat that is underappreciated, underestimated, and often unacknowledged, according to a 2023 report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). They are considered one of the five most-critical direct drivers of biodiversity loss, according to the report, yet the threat they pose is “too often ignored until it is too late.” Such is the case in South Florida, with the spread of invasive pythons that is proving challenging to contain.

Accompanied by a professional python hunter, I scoured the glades for the snakes with two representatives of innovative footwear brand P448. The company has emerged as an unlikely ally in the battle to control these invasive creatures. Over the past year, it has been working to shed light on the pervasive problem and design a more sustainable shoe—one made with invasive python skin. 

Florida’s new apex predator

Native to Southeast Asia, the Burmese python found its way into the Everglades in the 1980s through the exotic pet trade and irresponsible pet owners releasing them into the wild. This human error, coupled with the snake’s ability to grow rapidly, and lay as many as 100 eggs at a time, is the reason the Everglades is now overrun by the opportunistic creature. Today, conservative estimates from experts suggest there are likely tens of thousands of them out there.

These invasive pythons, capable of reaching over 20 ft. long and weighing as much as 200 lbs., are now the apex predator at the top of the food chain. They have disrupted the local ecosystem by both preying on an array of native species and outcompeting them for food and resources. The U.S. Geological Survey has reported near 100% reductions in small mammal populations like raccoons and opossums since 1997, and some, such as rabbits and foxes have “effectively disappeared” as a result.

On our drive we spotted the odd wading bird or baby alligator—and you can’t help but think that it’s just a matter of time before it falls prey to the generalist predator. Working on the front lines of the battle to remove invasive pythons, Ian Bartoszek, a wildlife biologist with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, has seen first-hand what the pythons are consuming to reach incredible sizes: they have been documented eating over 84 species of animals in Florida, even large ones like deer and alligators.

Kristen Hart, Ph.D. and research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, has been researching invasive Burmese pythons since 2008. As part of this work, she has helped design field studies to better understand the python’s capabilities—and she is quick to highlight just how successfully they have adapted to their new environment. She points to studies that have revealed evolved characteristics such as cold tolerance, and the ability to withstand salt water and extend their habitat beyond freshwater to coastal environments: Pythons have been discovered in marine environments in Naples and the Florida Keys, and have been documented as far as 15.5 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a recent report. The snakes even have an “alien-like” capacity to regenerate their own organs and tissues, and are able to adapt their feeding strategies, going as long as six months without food if necessary, though they are not prey-limited at this time, according to Hart. “These abilities show that they’re evolving really quickly, and that this environment is a great fit for them,” says Hart. “But they’re not supposed to be here and are a huge pressure on a system that’s already stressed in many other ways.”

But the python’s impact may not be limited to the Everglades. As the snake’s population spreads northward from where it first established itself in Florida, climate change will likely impact their spread, according to David Lodge, a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and director of the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability at Cornell University. As temperatures increase, so too does the potential range for pythons. Lodge, who has over 40 years researching invasive species under his belt, adds that the full extent of the species’ ecosystem disruption may not be clear. “The impacts are likely to become greater as we see and understand the consequences of losing so many small mammal species.”

Not just that, but invasive species can also contribute to the emergence and spread of zoonotic disease. Helen Roy, a professor at the U.K. Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and University of Exeter with over 20 years of experience studying invasive alien species, including as a former co-chair of the IPBES global assessment on invasive alien species, believes “there is an urgent need to raise awareness of the potential risks posed to human health by the transmission of zoonotic diseases by invasive alien species.” The introduction of the Burmese python in South Florida has greatly disrupted the ecosystem there. Because the snakes eat small mammals—which are also the normal host animals for mosquitoes—a recent study found that the insects have had to find a new host: rodents. Rodents seem to provide more fertile breeding grounds for mosquitoes, so populations have thrived—and so has mosquito-borne Everglades virus (EVEV). That increases the risk for humans, too. “It is critical that we increase awareness of the often-underestimated magnitude of future impacts of invasive alien species on human health,” says Roy, “and prioritize the implementation of collaborative initiatives to address them.”

Wearable advocacy

In order to control the invasive python population and safeguard the Everglades, the animals must be captured and humanely killed. It can be a difficult concept to wrap your head around, given that the Burmese python is endangered in Southeast Asia. “We have a lot of respect for the Burmese python, a species that is here through no fault of their own and vulnerable in their native range,” says Bartoszek. “But unfortunately, invasive species management does not always have a happy ending.”

It was our expedition guide, Federico Arrosa, a python removal contractor working for the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), who originally contacted P448 on Instagram after he heard about their latest shoe collection using the skins of invasive lionfish. The company had already been looking into the idea generally when Arrosa reached out with the idea of where to source invasive snake skin for shoes. “I’ve seen first-hand how some of these beautiful skins of these remarkable animals end up going to waste,” says Arrosa, “so when I discovered P448 it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do right by the planet and the animal.”

The invasive species is known to have high levels of mercury and harbor parasites, so it’s not advisable to consume python meat. Meaning the snakes are often thrown out after they’re killed. As part of their Project Sustainability program, P448 tries to find creative sustainability solutions that remove something harmful to the environment and put it to better use. According to Sabrina Cohen, chief product and sustainability officer at P448, waste management is a key sustainability pillar of their Burmese python program, a collection they began producing in 2023 with a focus on replacing higher-impact materials such as those made from petroleum-based plastics with an existing resource. This new take on sustainability sees the skins of Florida’s invasive pythons, a material that would otherwise be discarded as waste, repurposed and given a second life as footwear, complementing other recycled materials such as Global Recycled Standard-certified leather and fabric, recycled thermoplastic rubber, organic cotton laces, and recycled eyelets used in the design of their shoes.

The Burmese python isn’t P448’s first foray into the use of invasive leathers; in addition to their sneakers made with the skins of Lionfish, invasive to the Florida Keys, they have also used Carp, an invasive freshwater species in North America. And a new project is on the horizon using the skins of Ta’ape (Bluestripe Snapper), an invasive species in Hawaii that is outcompeting native fish for food and disrupting the local fishing industry. “P448 challenges itself to look at sustainability in a different way,” says Cohen, noting the curiosity they possess as a brand as they chart new paths in sustainable applications.

With the snakeskin sneakers, the eco-minded brand also saw an opportunity to cast an educational spotlight on the Everglades’ vulnerable ecosystem. Public awareness plays an important role in contributing to the effective management of biological invasions, according to the IPBES, by enhancing peoples’ understanding of the risks associated with invasive alien species in order to prevent new introductions. With their sneakers, P448 aims to do just that, raising awareness for a critical environmental concern among their consumer base and the fashion industry at large, blazing a trail with a new trend in wearable advocacy. One way P448 has been effectively reaching audiences is through their documentary-style film series on invasive species, which have been making their way through the global film festival circuit, allowing viewers to experience the issues through the eyes of environmentalists and hunters at the forefront. Their film on lionfish was recognized as “best technical achievement” at the Seattle International Fashion Film Festival in 2023, and won “best documentary” at the Coupe D’Or Fashion Film Festival Chicago 2023. The brand’s Burmese python film is following in its footsteps as an official selection for the 2024 London Fashion Film Festival.

Lodge believes there is great benefit to making snakeskin apparel such as footwear out of invasive Burmese pythons, particularly if the marketing raises awareness of the source of the skins, and the harm the snakes are doing in Florida. He does, however, caution against scenarios where such a strategy could backfire, noting the potential risk that endangered native populations of Burmese pythons in Asia may be exploited illegally if the trade in skins were to become lucrative. Furthermore, the development of a market in skins could incentivize the further introduction and spread of pythons to establish additional populations to exploit. For P448, this is why global trade compliance is so important. Cohen highlights Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) management as a critical part of their journey, ensuring that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants is sustainable and does not endanger their survival. This essentially means prohibiting trade in endangered species and regulating trade in threatened or endangered species. P448’s marketing message emphasizes the critical environmental issue by presenting the facts and spotlighting the direct action they are taking to help drive positive change.

A needle in a haystack

Pythons are elusive creatures that can swim, climb, and burrow underground, making hunting them a bit like searching for a needle in a haystack. According to Arrosa, it can be laborious work scanning thick vegetation for any tiny square inch of the distinctive pattern of the python’s skin. “But you generate a ‘snake eye’ almost over time that picks up the shape of a snake or the shiny scales,” he says.

Biologists like Bartoszek, meanwhile, use a slew of tools to track down the species, including using male “scout snakes” to locate breeding female pythons before they have a chance to lay a clutch of eggs. Another tool that Lodge and his collaborators are spearheading is Environmental DNA (or eDNA)—a method that uses water, air, or soil samples to detect the presence and abundance of a species without seeing them, based on the trail of DNA left behind. 

Any willing individual can take to the wetlands to support the cause; the SFWMD accepts applications to become python removal agents through their Python Elimination Program. Nearly 20,000 pythons have been caught in Florida in the last 20 years, and in 2022, 538 pythons were collected for P448’s production purposes, representing a quarter of the total catch for that year. Across three different shoe styles in their collection, those 538 skins produced almost 1,500 pairs. On average, three pairs of shoes can be made from a single skin, depending on its size and pattern.

One step at a time

While the large skins of pythons lend themselves well to engineering a shoe, it isn’t quite as simple as going directly from snake to shoe. According to Cohen, it takes months of research, tannery testing, and trial samples before the python skin is incorporated into a pair of P448 sneakers. Untreated python skin, while delicate, can be quite rigid, requiring that it go through a tanning process combining vegetable tanning with a chrome bath (using chromium) to enhance the snakekin’s pliability and ensure it can withstand the daily wear and tear of a sneaker. This tanning process, which can be water and energy-intensive, presents a challenge for the brand, according to Cohen, as they worked to strike a balance between being as sustainable as possible, without compromising the beauty and durability of the skin. “Sustainability is a conviction, but also a learning journey with its undefined path,” says Cohen.

Curbing the python population, however, is a herculean task. P448 recognizes that the issue is bigger than any one person, company, or group can solve. Its mission is to educate their consumers, and influence the fashion world to follow some of their cues by showcasing their regenerative sustainability practices. 

Given that they are reproducing faster than they can be removed, eradication is currently a pipe dream according to Lodge, who stresses that without greatly increased investments to improve detection technologies, discover more effective control interventions, and support the labor and infrastructure needed, there is little hope of slowing their spread.

After several hours of driving we finally found a 7 ft. python. Arrosa hopped out of the car and wrangled it. Putting my ophidiophobia aside, I gripped its head. I was surprised by how something I long considered so menacing can so quickly relinquish its power and be so submissive in my hand. I forgot for a moment just how skillful a creature it can be and the damage it’s capable of inflicting. I felt a deep respect for the animal as I attempted to reconcile the fact that it must be killed for the greater good. I did, however, take comfort knowing the snake’s stunning scaled hide—with its intricate brown-toned camouflage—could be given a second life in a pair of sneakers that make a strong statement about environmental stewardship.

source https://time.com/7086199/florida-invasive-python-problem-p448-shoes/