Florida is marking a milestone in its attempt to control an infestation of Burmese pythons in the Everglades.
For more than a year now, the state has been paying a select group of hunters to kill the invasive snakes on state lands in South Florida.
On Tuesday, the 1,000th python collected in that program will be weighed in at the South Florida Water Management District's field office in Homestead.
Hunter Brian Hargrove captured the milestone snake. When the program began, Hargrove told The Associated Press he hated having to kill the pythons. But he wanted to help save wildlife in the beleaguered Everglades.
Pythons are blamed for declining mammal populations across the wetlands.