Jason Leon and his catch

Earlier this month, a man caught and killed a nearly 19-foot, 128-pound Burmese python near Miami. The snake is believe to be the largest ever captured in the state of Florida.
On May 11, Jason Leon spotted roughly three feet of python protruding from some bushes in a rural area of Miami-Dade County. He pulled the 18-foot, 8-inch python to the road, only to lose control of the giant female snake, which quickly wrapped itself around his arms and legs. After calling for help, Leon killed the python with a knife.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released a statement thanking Leon.
“Jason Leon’s nighttime sighting and capture of a Burmese python of more than 18 feet in length is a notable accomplishment that set a Florida record. The FWC is grateful to him both for safely removing such a large Burmese python and for reporting its capture,” said Kristen Sommers, with FWC, in a release.

Students lay next to snake to help give it scale

Pythons have been a problem in Florida since the 1980s, when residents who adopted them as pets began releasing them into the wild. Many of the snakes also escaped pet stores during Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Without any natural predators, there’s nothing to stop the pythons from decimating local wildlife. As a result, Florida sponsors events like the “2013 Python Challenge” to combat the giant reptiles.
Florida’s previous record for largest Burmese python was set last August when a 17-foot, 7-inch female was caught and killed in the Everglades. That snake, however, had the edge in weight – 164 pounds versus 128 – perhaps because it was pregnant with over 80 eggs. If you’re curious what python eggs look like, here’s a picture of 59 still inside a Burmese python captured in taking measurements: Python being measured in University of Florida Lab after it was captured and killed near Miami.

RESCUE STARTS AT 1:25

On brighter note, Richard also runs the Apps for Apes program which I am hoping to record for a docu. This program provides Ipads to Orangutans in captivity. Orangutans are considered the most intelligent of all the Great Apes. Tests indicate that orangutan intelligence reaches the level of human children about 3.5 years old. Thus the reason why Ipads are so entertaining for them.

WHAT YOU CAN DO…. stop by www.redapes.org  Inform yourself and help them out by either volunteering or making a donation.

Anaconda Attack

The following is from the US Government Peace Corps Manual for its volunteers who work in the Amazon Jungle. It tells what to do in case an anaconda attacks you.

1. If you are attacked by an anaconda do not run. The snake is faster than you are.

2. Lie flat on the ground. Put your arms tight against your sides, your legs tight against one another.

3. Tuck your chin in.

4. The snake will come and begin to nudge and climb over your body.

(a cute little dog gets coiled by a giant Anaconda? Can he be saved?)

5. Do not panic.

6. After the snake has examined you, it will begin to swallow you from the feet and always from the end. Permit the snake to swallow your feet and ankles. Do not panic.

7. The snake will now begin to suck your legs into its body. You must lie perfectly still. This will take a long time.

8. When the snake has reached your knees slowly and with as little movement as possible, reach down, take your knife and very gently slide it into the side of the snake’s mouth between the edge of its mouth and your leg, then suddenly rip upwards, severing the snake’s head.

9. Be sure you have your knife.

10. Be sure your knife is sharp.

US IRS AGENT USING TECHNIQUES FROM GOVERNMENT HANDBOOK

STUART, Fla. – Help wanted: Nuisance alligator trappers in Martin County.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is accepting applications for contracted trappers in the county. The job is with the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program.
Trappers will remove alligators from locations where they are unwanted or unwelcome. The commission said an alligator may be considered a nuisance if it is at least four feet in length and is believed to pose a threat to people, pets or property.
A commission statement on Monday said those interested in the position must have a clean criminal history, no fish or wildlife law violations and a working email address. They must also live in Martin County.
The deadline to apply is April 15, the same day you file your taxes

Fingers, a bottlenose dolphin has fishing line tangeled around his tail fluke - photo by Delphine Chabanne

Just another example of this growing problem with plastics that I see everywhere I go.  A well known  dolphin near Perth Australia  known as “Fingers” may soon die because fishing line has become wrapped around it’s tail.  The fishing line, also known as monofilament is fishing line made from a single fiber of plastic.

Hugh Finn, a dolphin expert at Murdoch University in Australia, says Fingers is a bottlenose dolphin and researchers have been following it since 1993. The fishing line was first noticed in February 2013 when Fingers approached a research boat manned by Dr. Finn’s Colleague Delphine Chabanne. It is wrapped around the tail fluke in a way the dolphin can’t remove it himself nor will it come off by itself. Monofilament fishing line, which is made from plastic, does not degrade for 500 years.

“Because the fishing line does not break down, it becomes like a dull is knife that gradually cuts into the Dolphins flesh,” Dr. Finn told me during a Skype interview.  “It can be very painful.”

According to Dr. Finn, there are generally three outcomes from a situation like this.  The first is the possibility that the fishing line will pick up seaweed and other debri which will cause so much drag that the tail fluke will actually be amputated. The second result might be that the entanglement disables the animal to the point that it can no longer catch fish for food or swim fast enough to stay away from sharks.  The third, and most likely outcome in the case of Fingers is the fishing line just creates and open wound that is vulnerable to deadly infections, such as the bloodstream infection known as Septicemia. This could take months to years to happen.

WATCH INCREDIBLE VIDEO OF WILD DOLPHIN ALLOWING DIVERS TO REMOVE FISHING LINE FROM FIN  

Fishing line entanglement is widespread among many sea creatures, but dolphins and whales seem particularly affected. Sometimes divers are able to remove fishing line, but in many cases it just isn’t practical and the animal is left to struggle with the problem on it’s own. On the night of January 11, 2013, during a dive off the Kona coast to view manta rays divers encountered a bottlenose dolphin that slowly swam around them. The dolphin approached one of the divers and turned over.  In the underwater lights meant to illuminate the manta rays, the diver could see that the dolphin’s pectoral fin was entangled in fishing line. The diver was able to remove the fishing line with his dive knife.  (video of this amazing event is in the clip posted above).

In the case of Fingers, however, the prospect of a rescue doesn’t seem likely,  according to Dr. Finn. “There are substantial practical obstacles,” he told me. “Fingers is a full grown male and does not often come into the local river where Gizmo was found. In Florida they have the expertise to capture dolphins and they have the nets, but here is Western Australia we don’t have those opportunities.”

Photo of "Fingers" from video recorded by Delphine Chabanne

What will become of Fingers is not clear at this point, but unless there is a major opportunity to help him, his prospects don’t look good. “People need to be realistic,” Finn said. “We’d all love for him to be freed from the fishing line, but in all likelihood, that isn’t going to happen.”

Despite the bleak and depressing situation surrounding the entanglements, there is a simple and easy answer. It lies in the fishing line itself.  According to Dr. Finn,  fisherman need only to simply switch to a biodegradable fishing line.  Unlike plastic monofilament which does not decompose for 500 years or more,  biodegradable fishing line, which is the same price as regular fishing line and widely available today, decomposes in months.

Biodegradable Fishing Line Is widely available in tackle shops and online

Giant Croc doesn't fit in this truck

A giant crocodile that measured more than 15 feet was recently trapped near Palumba, Australia.  Tommy Nichols, a ranger for the Parks and Wildlife Service, said the Croc was trapped after it was seen menacing children. The only problem was they didn’t have a big enough truck to transport the creature.

Students on Hike using new App to connect them more deeply to their enviroment

When we look at the physical makeup of urban areas, it’s obvious that we’ve transformed a natural wilderness into a modern forest of steel and concrete. The truth is we’re still surrounded by nature in the middle of the city, but our lives are simply too fast and our attention too fractured to notice it. A pair of professors at the University of Rochester aim to change our perception of urban nature and help us better understand the evolution of our cities with a new smart phone app called Indeterminate Hikes+(IH+).

WATCH VIDEO

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Michael Moore

I don’t know if you have noticed, but Michael Moore has been on a campaign lately to get some gun control legislation passed. In the last week he has appeared on CNN with Piers Morgan, MSNBC with Michael Eric Dyson, and Reddit Online for a ‘Ask Me Anything.’  He’s super peeved at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for refusing to bring California Senator Dianne Feinstein’s “assault weapons” bill to the floor for a vote as part of a larger gun control package. Why? Because Reid couldn’t round up even 40 votes to support it.

In response, Michael has jumped into high gear and is trying to organize a national town hall meeting with the “300 million people in America that are not members of the NRA” (National Rifle Association). In true MoveOn.org fashion, Michael has worked out a scheme encouraging people to hold screening parties of his film “Bowling for Columbine” tonight (March 23, 2013) in their homes. Netflix has offered to allow anyone to watch it for free from their website. The screening will be followed by a live town hall meeting online with Michael Moore.

Tennessee Gun Show

My own feelings on the issue are mixed at best. I recently attended a gun show in Tennessee and it was a real eye opener. I don’t own a gun and I don’t support gun culture in any way. But I came away from it with the feeling that attempting to regulate guns will not stop their proliferation. It will only drive their trade into the same back alleys where drugs are sold. What we would end up with is a very expensive “War on Drugs” and an additionally costly “War on Weapons.”  I think both are doomed to failure because neither can overcome the desire of people to have what they want. And from what I saw, there are plenty of folks out there who want guns. Even the Amish!  Personally, I choose to just say no to gun ownership. And I encourage everyone else to do the same.

In America, even the Amish are in the gun business

Unfortunately, I think Michael will have a personal encounter with American apathy tonight. The majority of us won’t really lift a finger to do much of anything. Just like Reed couldn’t get enough votes on the floor, Michael won’t be able to get enough people at his meeting. But I think he already knows this. As he said on MSNBC yesterday, “When the next mass killing happens, we have nobody to blame but ourselves.”

At last check, it looks like gun control, including control on assault weapons is pretty much dead. The bill that is coming to the floor is only asking for wider background checks.

If you want to participate in Michael Moore’s Town Hall Meeting,  you can learn more at his website http://www.michaelmoore.com/

Great White Sharks seconds before ramming a dive cage filled with tourists

Shark tourists off Gansbaai, South Africa, received more than they paid for  when a large great white ignored the dangling bait outside the cage and instead tried jamming its head through the steel bars.

Bryan Plummer was on the boat and captured the footage, along with the reactions from others watching from the deck.

It’s not clear how many divers were in the cage but a newlywed named Roger can be seen closest to the shark’s head.

Fortunately, he swam downward and avoided injury.

The shark eventually swam off.