WEST PALM BEACH, FL (AP) -- State wildlife officials have extended the python hunt program.
After a four-month test run that ended in October, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Wednesday that they would extend the program to a year-round effort starting in January.
Scott Hardin with the wildlife commission says this will ensure that the exotic species does not spread any farther north in Florida.
The program aimed at helping eradicate giant, nonnative Burmese pythons from South Florida ended with 39 of the invasive constrictors being killed. This was the first-ever state-sanctioned python hunt.
The agency is also now seeking application for permits that will go into effect on Jan. 1. Applications can be found at myfwc.com.
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