0:01

Really now,

0:04

really, really.

0:09

Now, really Hello, and welcome to Really Know Really

0:11

with Jason Alexander and Peter Tilden,

0:13

who remind you it wouldn't kill you to

0:15

subscribe to our show, but something

0:17

that can kill you is the subject of today's

0:20

episode, especially if you live in the beautiful

0:22

Sunshine state. Florida is

0:24

now infested with an estimated

0:27

three hundred thousand plus

0:29

pythons, some twenty

0:31

feet long and weighing up to two fifty pounds.

0:34

Currently, the only way to control

0:36

these non native snakes is by sending hunters

0:39

deep into alligator infested swamps

0:41

to find, capture, and kill these

0:44

apex predators. Really no,

0:46

really. You'll also hear about Jason's

0:48

startling close encounter with a snake,

0:51

plus the touching story of the man

0:53

with an emotional support alligator.

0:57

Here's Jason and Peter.

1:00

You know, they have a python

1:02

problem, a Burmese python problem in the Florida

1:04

Everglades. People tend to get them

1:06

as pets and then they get a little unwieldy and they

1:09

release them and they become predatory animals, and

1:11

they upset the balance of the ecology

1:13

of the everglades. So people go

1:15

out and they capture these things. That's the thing to

1:17

do is capture it. So I

1:20

don't know, you know,

1:23

but you might not know. Pythons can get to be

1:25

big. So imagine something seventeen

1:27

feet seventeen feet

1:30

long, weighing about one hundred and ten pounds.

1:33

What do you think is the bear requirement to

1:35

send somebody out to capture that thing? I

1:37

have had a figure crocodile Dundee,

1:39

the crocodile hunter, maybe a four hundred

1:42

pound guy with a gun and

1:44

a scope. Now a little woman

1:46

five foot four, one hundred and twenty pounds

1:49

went out and captured

1:51

a seventeen foot three inch

1:54

python herself, no

1:56

weapons.

1:57

She took basically a baggie and

2:00

a lot of kutzpah.

2:02

Amy Sewey was a

2:04

real estate person in Indianapolis

2:07

and went to Florida and got involved

2:09

with this python hunting thing and

2:12

God hook, She's going to tell you her story.

2:13

Can you see what that moment we should I'm

2:16

not showing another person the house.

2:18

I've had I've had.

2:19

I'm in the middle of a couples when I'm done,

2:22

and I'm going to go what aggravat I'm

2:25

going to with the insects of the side of my head.

2:27

Anytime I've peed in the Everglades, I've seen

2:30

two sorts of eyes looking up right at me.

2:32

Yeah, why would you go there? We got a fight? Yeah.

2:34

So she has captured and killed

2:36

more than four hundred pythons. She posts

2:38

guided towards where ticket buying guests

2:41

go out there with her. She makes all kinds

2:43

of beautiful uh python

2:45

leather products like watchbands and

2:47

whatnot. And as I say, she has,

2:50

I don't think there's a woman with a with a bigger

2:52

record than this three

2:55

inch python, one hundred and ten pounds,

2:57

Ladies and gentlemen, a woman I'm already afraid

2:59

of. Welcome

3:02

Amy ce Hi, Amy.

3:04

Well, hello, thanks for having me a pleasure.

3:07

It's amazing, amazing looking at you,

3:10

because I mean, if I don't

3:12

know, if I could listen have been to the Everglades. There's

3:14

so many things other than the python

3:16

which can cause you can recap the python

3:19

is. So

3:22

just tell your story for a minute and get us up to speed.

3:24

What did happen with the real estate job

3:26

where you went, no moss, I'm going to go catch

3:28

pythons.

3:30

Actually, nothing happened. I wasn't even looking

3:32

for a new career. I loved for real estate. I

3:34

was good at it, and that was that was

3:37

my track. But the thing is, I

3:39

love snakes. I've got this passion for

3:41

snakes and I always have since I was a little

3:43

girl. My dad put me in the creek and

3:46

taught me how to catch all kinds of critters.

3:48

And I just had this crazy fascination with

3:51

snakes and it it just

3:53

never ended.

3:54

And what is it?

3:54

What is it? Because I'm he' screeped out by them?

3:57

I am so creepy.

3:58

I don't want to get Freudian,

4:00

but I've heard you say, I don't know what it is.

4:02

I've just always loved snakes. Tell

4:05

a little bit, try and look in a mirror. I

4:07

figure out what the hell you problem is? Snakes?

4:11

What is it? It's serious?

4:12

If I could answer, I was like, why wasn't

4:14

it puppies or kittens or dolphins or

4:16

something normal, you know? Or why didn't I

4:18

play with barbies? Why am I playing with snakes? This is

4:20

so stupid, But that's that's

4:22

what it is, and it's it's actually my dad had

4:24

this tremendous, you know, love for nature and taught

4:26

me all kinds of things about it.

4:28

And then the snakes. I think it's because

4:31

we didn't see.

4:32

Them as often as everything else, and

4:34

it was you know, they were you know,

4:36

you didn't want them to bite you, obviously, and

4:39

it was almost kind of like a challenge.

4:41

It was a huge challenge.

4:42

And so whenever we would catch one, it would be, you

4:44

know, it would be amazing. And so I just from

4:47

there this crazy passion.

4:48

Let me ask you, turtles

4:51

didn't cut it for you?

4:52

You know proms prad ads,

4:55

Yeah, kind of boy snake.

4:58

I see these videos, especially when I was looking to

5:00

do research this, and they're lunatics

5:03

who have these perrariums with the snakes

5:05

in it. And the guy's walking in and say, oh, all

5:07

submit me, and he's laughing and going, world,

5:10

what's satisfaction? Is there a relationship

5:12

that you get with a snake? Can you understand the snake?

5:15

Can you understand the behavior?

5:16

Carstle Tongue is now

5:19

with a dog.

5:19

With a dog, you hope you get a relationship

5:22

and you can expect you expectations or whatever.

5:24

With a cat, even though they're.

5:25

Sneaky and I wouldn't have one again, but and

5:28

they suck the life out of it, you can

5:30

get what they're about. Even when you see

5:33

people with big cats, they can anticipate

5:35

maybe with a snake. What enjoyment

5:37

do you get about having a snake in

5:39

your room when you go to sleep at night? Do you go to kiss

5:41

the snake at night?

5:42

Is it? I mean, is it a Is there a relationship

5:44

or.

5:44

That's presuming, but you do you find

5:47

an affectionate relationship between snakes or

5:49

a bonding relationship between yourself

5:52

and snakes.

5:53

No, there's no bonding with a snake.

5:55

They actually don't have the part of their brain that's, you

5:57

know, the emotional piece of it. So

5:59

they know me, the snakes that I've owned in the

6:01

past because I used to be a breeder. They know me

6:03

because I feed them basically. But

6:06

when I go out there in the swamp, I mean obviously

6:08

they're all out to try to you know, they.

6:10

Don't let me.

6:11

Let me back up, people are not on

6:13

the menu, okay, So these

6:15

pythons are not actually coming after us

6:18

to eat us. So it actually

6:20

makes my job a little bit harder because they're very very hard

6:22

to find. If they were trying to eat me, at least

6:24

I know where they are, so then I could.

6:28

I could beat baits. So you

6:30

leave real estate and gone to the everglet.

6:33

Sure. Well, I learned about the python

6:35

problem down here. I had no idea it.

6:37

Was a thing, and when I found out about

6:39

it, I thought, WHOA, what is this?

6:41

I really need to go down and see

6:43

what this is all about. You can catch pythons in Florida.

6:45

That's kind of cool. And

6:48

so I went on vacation. I

6:51

went on a hunt. I caught a python,

6:53

and I was hooked. I was like, this is it,

6:55

this is what I'm this is what I'm supposed to be doing.

6:58

It was that amazing, was that

7:00

big a rushian adrenaline rush for you to do it?

7:02

Well?

7:03

It wasn't even that.

7:03

It was that this is I can take this passion

7:07

and I can use it and

7:09

make a difference in the world. I can actually help

7:11

Florida with this colossal problem because I'm

7:13

not afraid of them. I know a lot about them,

7:15

and I constantly want to learn. So I'm

7:17

an asset to the

7:20

team in Florida.

7:20

Okay, I've seen the video, but for people that

7:22

haven't, can you describe briefly how

7:25

do you podcast a seventeen

7:27

foot python?

7:28

What do you do well?

7:30

Typically with a normal snake, but that's not quite

7:32

that big. You just you grab it behind

7:34

the head, right, you get all the way up

7:36

behind the jaws, because if you get down even just

7:38

a little bit, they'll turn around and they'll nail you. So

7:41

you have to catch them behind the head.

7:43

So with a seventeen footer though, you

7:45

know, I was by myself, and I cannot

7:47

out muscle a seventeen footer. Most people can't,

7:50

and so I knew early on that I

7:52

was probably going to come across a big snake and I needed

7:54

to be prepared for how I was going to do this.

7:57

And so in the vet and pet

7:59

store business, you know, we would put a

8:01

dark cloth over the animal's eyes

8:04

or their face to calm them down.

8:06

So I thought maybe this would work for a python.

8:08

So I practiced with like a couple thirteen and fourteen

8:10

footers, and I would put the bag, it

8:12

was six by six inch drawstring

8:14

bag over these pythons heads and they just stopped.

8:17

It just stopped them cold.

8:18

So I so

8:20

the night that I caught that seventeen footer,

8:23

it was so funny because I was by myself, It's

8:25

midnight, and I'm driving my

8:27

truck slowly down the road and I see this thing periscoping

8:30

and that's when they kind of they're up about two

8:33

or.

8:33

Three feet in the dust.

8:34

I wanted to ask about nobody believes that.

8:36

I read that part the periscoping. So

8:38

that's like a cobra. It's sitting. It's actually sitting

8:40

up looking at you.

8:42

Yes it is, but it's the telltale

8:44

sign is that is that white against

8:47

all of the green and brown, right, so.

8:49

They stand out.

8:50

And so I see that, and I pulled the truck

8:53

over and I grab my GoPro

8:55

and I grab my little bag and

8:58

I get out. And I don't know how big this snake is.

9:00

I mean, I just know that it's a python. And so

9:03

in the meantime, it had gone down. So when

9:05

I finally I finally see some pattern through

9:07

the grass and I follow it up and

9:10

I see the biggest head of

9:12

a snake I've ever seen. And I'm standing

9:14

there and I'm looking at this bag and I'm looking at

9:17

this I'm like, oh my god, what's wrong with me?

9:20

But I just you know, you can't hesitate. So I just

9:22

jumped on it and I

9:24

nailed it down. And now keep in mind, I can't see

9:27

that the rest of the snake. I have no idea

9:29

how big the snake is. I just know that it's pretty

9:31

big and it's It wasn't a wrestling

9:33

match.

9:34

It was more a battle of strength. It was trying to shim

9:36

me back into the swamp.

9:37

So I'm, you know, actually squatting it up

9:39

with my you know, legs, trying to keep it from

9:41

going back in the swamp. And then I ended up

9:43

getting that bag over its head and as

9:45

soon as I did, it just

9:48

stopped. I mean, and you can see the video,

9:50

it's kind of a struggle, but the snake

9:52

stopped. So I was just sitting there on

9:55

top of a snake at midnight in a ditch

9:57

on the side of the highway, and I'm like,

9:59

hah, now I have to pull this thing out of here.

10:02

Yeah.

10:03

And that's when another truck

10:05

of people, you knew, who I guess were fellow hunters.

10:07

Yeah, some other hunters drove by. So I yelled

10:09

out and they backed up and

10:12

they said, what are you doing. I'm like, I'm sitting on

10:14

a python. They're like why, Like

10:16

you'll see and they came

10:18

down and oh my gosh, and they both

10:21

said, this is the biggest python we've ever seen,

10:23

so it was pretty cool.

10:24

We will post the video

10:26

of Amy's capture of this on our

10:29

website. You can also see at her website

10:31

as well, and we'll give you that information at the end. But

10:34

exactly as you say, I'm watching the

10:36

video and I'm

10:38

seeing what you're seeing through your GoPro.

10:41

You're right on top of this thing. I

10:44

can't see it until

10:46

you actually put your hands around

10:48

that. I couldn't see what

10:50

you were seeing. It just looked like weeds

10:52

and straw muck.

10:54

And if it's disguised, then you're

10:57

going for it and you can't find it right

10:59

away, can then turn on you and bite you

11:01

as a defense.

11:02

Mechage, Absolutely, you can mass They got

11:04

razor sharp teeth, right, they have a.

11:06

Mouthful of razor sharp teeth teeth.

11:08

I've been bitten. I don't

11:10

even know how many times, so many times.

11:11

Do have a.

11:12

Visible bite scar anywhere that you can

11:15

show?

11:15

No, No, Okay, it would be

11:17

so cool if I did, But they don't scar for some reason.

11:21

It's really weird to see how they can

11:23

scar. Take me on a hunt.

11:24

You'll see how badly oh

11:26

that's going to leave a mark has never been truer.

11:29

So the other thing I got to wonder about the everglades,

11:31

and the everglades, you're jumping in there. There's

11:34

stuff in there. There's there's gators, there's all

11:36

kinds. So how do you know what you're stepping into if it's night

11:38

and you can't see.

11:40

Well, you don't.

11:41

When I first moved there, I thought I was going to have to have

11:43

like a fifty cow and you know for

11:46

the bears and the gators and pythons

11:48

and the panthers and you know, all the venomous

11:50

snakes that are there and all kinds of things. But

11:53

at the end of the day, they don't want anything

11:55

to do with you. I mean they really really

11:57

don't.

11:58

Gators would not attack.

12:00

Have you stepped within a foot

12:02

of a gator, they're not going to go ooh, here's

12:04

something they wouldn't.

12:05

Usually usually they don't let you get

12:07

that close to them. Now, the

12:09

only thing that I would be worried about is a bowl

12:12

alligator that during mating season.

12:14

It's being territorial, I would think.

12:16

And a lot of there's a lot of videos, by the way, Love

12:18

Florida Love on golf courses when a

12:21

giant python is fighting an alligator

12:23

on like the eighth t and these guys

12:25

are standing there and by the way, pissed

12:28

that.

12:28

We got to we're trying to fight, can we all

12:30

that we're trying to play through?

12:31

So the amazing thing about these

12:33

pythons and why they've eradicated the mammal

12:36

population there is they eat every I

12:38

mean, they're eating the panthers, they're eating

12:41

the gators, they're eating all

12:43

of the mammals. So they don't have right now

12:45

any other predator. And they're saying there's

12:48

no chance at eradicating mall because there could

12:50

be one hundred and fifty thousand, there could

12:52

be three hundred thousand. They're not sure how

12:54

many there are.

12:55

Correct, that is correct, That is correct.

12:57

But yees, so there are no predators.

12:59

They are it, We are it. I mean we've

13:01

got invasive hogs, and hogs

13:03

will eat pythons. Pythons will eat hogs,

13:06

but nobody eats enough of each other to make a

13:08

difference.

13:08

Same with alligators.

13:10

Neither one are very high on each other's

13:12

you know, priority list of food.

13:14

And they're going north now too. They're up in like West

13:16

palm Are here, they're gambling

13:18

in Boca they're going to Delis and Boca. I mean they're

13:20

they're they're everywhere, right, They're really getting

13:22

to spread out.

13:23

I mean, there's okay,

13:26

I'm just a cart blonte statement. You have

13:28

more than I do.

13:32

I honestly, I don't

13:34

think I could do what you do. I really do what

13:37

you think people have. Many people have

13:40

such a repulsion to snakes. It seems to be a

13:42

huge phobia for many many people. Do you have

13:45

any thoughts on them?

13:46

So?

13:46

I think it.

13:47

You know, they're also portrayed. You always see these

13:49

giant teeth. You know, they're going

13:51

into these fangs of the of the vipers

13:54

and the rattlesnakes, and I think that, you

13:56

know, people don't want to get bitten

13:58

by that.

13:59

Yeah, but it's weird.

14:01

People get bitten by dogs too, but generally

14:03

that's not as big a phobi there's I think it's to

14:05

me, there's something about they are

14:08

very they feel very alien,

14:10

as many reptiles amphibians do. They're

14:13

not they're not cuddly, they don't have the warm

14:15

eyes.

14:16

You don't exactly they don't

14:18

see snakes playing a piano.

14:19

Don't even understand how are they moving

14:22

exactly?

14:22

What are they do, they're so alien to us

14:24

that that's a yeah.

14:27

So here's the question I was going to ask you.

14:30

Are you just generally a little

14:33

less fearful than most people or is there stuff

14:35

that you go, Yeah, I know it's irrational, but this scares

14:37

me.

14:39

You know, I will say this, jumping in that swamp,

14:43

it's a challenge.

14:43

It's fine.

14:44

Are you friendly?

14:45

I know there's Dusty the wild Man Crumb

14:47

and there's just the swamp apes. There's

14:50

a bunch of people doing what you do. And

14:52

are they There's a certain amount that are sanctioned

14:55

by the state that go out to try and eradicate. And

14:57

then there's the big round up, the ten is it the ten

14:59

ten day round round up? Is that what

15:01

it is? Where you come down there and you get paid how

15:03

much?

15:04

Four? Oh, it's big money, big money, Pete.

15:06

I heard it's like fifty bucks for the snake

15:08

in general, and then for the first four feet

15:10

there's nothing, and then after four feet it's like ten

15:12

bucks a foot.

15:13

You can really you can eat at Arby's

15:16

at the end of a boost to stuff

15:19

that we don't understand. I'm just saying, for what

15:21

they're doing, it's not a lot of money.

15:22

You're in the Everglades, you just finished bowling, You're on your way

15:24

home. You see a snake across the road.

15:26

You pick it up. You're dropping a drop box and a

15:28

license. You need a license to do this, don't you.

15:31

No, the public can can hunt

15:34

the snakes. However, they cannot

15:36

transport them live, so they

15:38

have to be killed on site.

15:39

Oh, when I heard about Peter, let me tell you about the killing

15:42

thing I read something about the killing isn't

15:44

it's a two step method to do it. You

15:46

know, to do it nicely, to do it nicely.

15:49

So the first thing, the first step is swim.

15:53

Your first step is fleeing, and then

15:55

step one A is your

16:07

first step is fleeing, and then step

16:10

one A is Your method should

16:12

result in the animal losing consciousness

16:15

immediately. You read you

16:18

destroy the animal's brain by piffing,

16:21

which which prevents it from regaining consciousness.

16:23

So conscious the consciousness part.

16:26

The thing I saw is like a it's

16:28

like a. It's it's did

16:30

you see it's

16:33

this little thing You go boom and it like sends

16:35

a pellet bang him right in the head

16:37

in this in the sweet spot, and they're unconscious

16:40

now that's where I

16:42

would walk away, going it's not chasing me now.

16:45

And then I think the next part is you take I saw

16:47

like this is gonna be gross, like a screwdriver

16:49

goes in and you kind of like.

16:57

Yeah, and then if you're, if you're,

16:59

if you amy.

17:02

We spent the next seventeen hours skinning

17:05

an eighteen foot python, and

17:07

you dry it and she makes very beautiful

17:09

Do.

17:09

You know what?

17:10

I have one eighteen foot python? You can get one driving

17:12

glove.

17:14

No, I saw it. I think I saw

17:16

belts. Yes, I saw watch bands

17:18

or bracelets of something.

17:19

Yeah, I've got watch bands apple.

17:22

Oh that is actually gorgeous.

17:24

Thank you, thank you.

17:25

Yeah, so I skin them on my the

17:27

LNI of my snowbird condo.

17:29

Never did I think that i'd be doing.

17:31

That from from from selling

17:34

real estate. Now there's your significant other, who I'm guessing

17:36

still with you. I don't want to probe, but is he is?

17:38

He?

17:38

Is he as into this stuff

17:41

as you are? Because I could see me coming out

17:43

my bathrobe and going and she's got another ag, another

17:46

thing hanging from the thing in the condo.

17:48

Yes, no, no, no he

17:51

wasn't.

17:51

So I just have to tell you this though, so he's a hunter

17:53

and a fisherman, you know, very outdoorsy.

17:56

Really appreciated my passion

17:59

for snakes and everything.

18:00

He would go hunting with me.

18:01

He would he would drive the truck and I would

18:04

be able to spot right. And then one day

18:07

we come across a fourteen and a half foot

18:09

python. I'm like, Babe, I

18:11

think I'm gonna need your help for this. And

18:13

so you have to remember this is kind of in the

18:15

beginning. I don't have all of my

18:18

you know, techniques down. And the one thing that

18:20

I'm going to preface this with is that when a

18:22

python bites you, or bites

18:24

a its prey, it bites and then

18:26

it wraps its coils the first

18:28

third it's body, right, So we call that throwing the elbow.

18:31

So so I jump on

18:33

this thing and so it just starts coiling

18:35

around me and I'm fighting it, and and Dave's

18:37

like, what.

18:38

Do I do?

18:38

What do I do? I'm like, like, get

18:41

the elbow, Get the elbow. He's like, what I

18:43

say, get the elbow. He's like, it's a heathen

18:46

snake.

18:46

Where's the elbow? You know?

18:48

So I was like, oh, but we

18:51

actually it was a fight.

18:52

She kicked our butts all over the place, and at

18:55

the end of it, the snake is

18:57

like done. I'm laying on top of the snake. Dave's

18:59

late, you know, leaned against a tree, and

19:01

he's like, uh, yeah, this is

19:03

kind of cool.

19:04

I think.

19:04

So it took you you get into it level.

19:07

So he's into it now. Yep.

19:08

So he he uh, is my partner, he's

19:11

my driver and my captain.

19:13

So he goes out with me my

19:16

captain.

19:17

Deal the old joke about the two guys that go

19:19

out. One guy gets bit by the poisonous steak

19:21

and they says it gets

19:23

bit in a private area, and

19:25

the other guy runs and the doctor says, no problem, he's

19:28

just got to suck out the poison. And the guy comes back and says,

19:30

what did the doctor say? Doctor said, you're going to die? That's

19:33

that would I would be your boyfriend in the truck with you

19:35

with the fourteen foot.

19:36

Python going sorry, honey, you're

19:38

gonna die. She wins.

19:40

Have you ever come across somebody who tried to take out

19:42

a python and it managed?

19:44

I think I read somewhere.

19:45

A college kid that you had to unravel

19:47

it had it had gone around him and

19:49

if it had kept going.

19:52

Good.

19:53

Yes, Jake is awesome. He's a very

19:55

very good hunter.

19:56

And he was with some of his buddies that weren't hunters,

19:58

and they came across the

20:00

record nineteen foot python and

20:04

it was, I mean, it was a pretty big snake.

20:06

So I pull up as as

20:09

this, I see him kind of pull the

20:11

tail a little bit.

20:12

The python goes to strike and

20:14

he jumps on it.

20:15

So this is when I'm walking out getting out of my truck

20:17

and he's on the ground and it's kind

20:20

of wrapping them up. And there's these

20:22

three kids just standing in there, and

20:24

so I was like, hey, do you guys need some help?

20:26

And he's like, Amy, I know you have tape. I know

20:28

you have tape tape of mouth. So I was like yep.

20:31

So I told the two the kids, I'm like, hey, pull the tail,

20:33

you know, and so they did, and

20:36

then I pulled the coil off of his shoulder so

20:38

he could actually sit up right, and then you

20:40

know, we got the mouth tape.

20:41

But that that was a big snake. That was That was

20:43

pretty cool.

20:44

I know the the

20:46

the arena for hunting these animals is probably

20:49

male dominated, but do you ever get attitudes

20:51

from these guys or are you one of the guys?

20:53

If you're doing this, you're one of the guys.

20:55

You know, I don't ever get any attitude. It's

20:57

everybody's in this for a different reason. And

21:00

even though you know, yes, it tends

21:03

to seem like it would be more of a masculine

21:07

thing, it's everybody's

21:09

on the same team. Yeah, you know, we're all we're

21:11

all well supportive, even though it gets kind

21:13

of competitive within within it, and you know there's

21:15

always some drama. They're always going to have that,

21:18

But for the most part, you know, everybody, we

21:20

get along.

21:21

We are a team. We're trying to get this

21:23

done and you know, however we can

21:25

do it.

21:25

We're how many people right now are working catching pythons

21:28

and how many are the.

21:29

Catching The state has

21:31

one hundred contractors.

21:32

And I'm not part of that program

21:35

anymore because I went I started doing

21:37

the guiding because you know, as

21:39

Jason had mentioned.

21:40

You need to make a living, get rip right, right,

21:43

right? Yeah, So, how many snakes?

21:44

How many snakes of the hundreds of thousands

21:47

that a half do you guys eradicate

21:49

a year?

21:49

Do you think, well, since

21:52

the beginning of these programs in twenty

21:54

seventeen.

21:55

Twenty thousand is how many.

21:57

We've caught, and so I prevented the

21:59

birth of we have.

22:01

But that's nothing compared to the potentially

22:03

five hundred thousand that are out there. I

22:06

mean, we are the most effective

22:09

tool right now, the hunters, and it's an average

22:11

of one Python every

22:13

twelve hours is what we're doing. And

22:15

so that's that's not that's not great,

22:17

but it's the most effective thing we have, even though there's

22:19

a ton of research going on right now to try to figure

22:21

out a better way.

22:23

You know, we can't give up in the meantime. We can't

22:25

just say oh, Python's you win.

22:26

You know, we have to try because somebody

22:28

at some point will come up with some way to

22:31

be more effective.

22:33

Is there anything if somebody was hearing this story

22:35

and they wanted to be of service,

22:38

either with a donation or in some way, Is there is

22:40

there any way that people that are concerned about this can

22:42

contribute to the effort.

22:44

We've got the National parks, you know, donations

22:46

for the National Parks are you know that a lot of

22:48

that does go into the Python program. You

22:51

know, you can actually if you like the Jewelry

22:53

and the bracelets. You can, you know, buy

22:55

some of those because a piece that you know, it

22:58

not only funds me, helps

23:00

fund me to be able to stay out there and do this, but it

23:02

also you know, I give I've donated.

23:05

Uh let's see, I'm at over four

23:07

hundred thousand now

23:10

since I've started this. I donate hunts

23:12

to charities in southwest Florida.

23:15

So I've raised I think, man,

23:17

I think it's like four hundred and thirty thousand so far.

23:19

And nothing wound so hard like seeing Amy take

23:21

out senior citizens from from the southern

23:24

Florida after those hunts.

23:27

Amy, thank you so much for coming on, and thank

23:30

you for success, for helping for your great

23:32

work.

23:32

Congrats on your on your practically

23:35

record break Amy.

23:36

Time be safe.

23:37

Thanks for having means.

23:48

So I've learned a couple of things here. Number one,

23:51

I'm not going to marry her.

23:52

I'm not going to be a hard fiance.

23:53

I'm not going to the other place. I'm not going

23:55

to Florida probably not Florida either.

23:58

But but the interesting thing, because

24:00

it's so out of control and all the government agencies

24:03

say you can't eradicate them, you just can't. Because

24:05

there's so many what they're thinking of doing and what

24:07

they're trying to do. They're all you're

24:09

doing with tracking, Well, they'll put the food out

24:11

like a possum with a GPS thing so that

24:13

the snake can eat it and maybe they can track the snake. But

24:16

also they're thinking what they did genetically to modify

24:18

mosquitoes where they just the only offspring

24:20

they have is mail.

24:21

So that even if they give eggs that

24:24

it's that.

24:24

And they're trying to use drones, although as she said,

24:27

the fascinating thing is that an eighteen foot

24:29

long snake you don't see

24:31

it. And the only hope is that

24:33

with invasive species, other species

24:35

are now going, let's eat the egg

24:38

and they're starting there's adapt there's

24:40

adaptation. Well

24:43

what happens, there's adaptation because

24:46

the species that are prayer are called

24:48

naive species because they've never experienced it before. Said

24:50

they don't know, but hopefully

24:53

over time there's adaptability and

24:55

the cougar goes, well, screw that, I'm

24:58

eating the eggs so that they can possibly

25:00

get ahead of this, but I don't know.

25:02

I can tell you is she she blew right by,

25:04

you know, because she doesn't have it.

25:06

The whole fear of snake thing.

25:07

I remember Dan and I years

25:10

ago, my wife and I were in a place called America's

25:12

Stonehenge. And

25:14

if I can find these photographs, I think we can. I know

25:16

where they are, I'll post I'll put them on our website,

25:19

okay, because my wife mounted them

25:21

like this. So America's Stonehenge was a was

25:23

a natural Uh. Some

25:25

tribes a home, you know, tribal home,

25:28

and they built their homes. They would dig down

25:30

into the so they built like these little huts

25:33

and things under the under the top

25:35

of the air. I think that would be a little steps down. So

25:37

you so big

25:40

things. You go down and you stand in the entrance

25:42

of one of the little homes and you take a photograph.

25:44

So dana'sna's on the surface

25:47

and I'm down and there's ground levels

25:49

right right.

25:49

So casually ha ha.

25:52

Now at the time, if you saw the beginning of Seinfeld,

25:54

I used to have this big thick strip of hair

25:56

down the middle. I had the bald patch

25:58

in the back and the hair line was receding,

26:01

but I had this yes strip of hair going

26:03

across the middle. So in the first photograph,

26:06

i'm my head is up and I'm cocky

26:08

and I'm leaning this thing between

26:11

photograph one and two, and she literally went click

26:14

click, That's how she went.

26:17

I noticed after click number one, there's

26:19

a snake at my elbow where

26:21

I'm leaning, and I

26:23

panicked so badly. I pull my arm

26:26

away, head down and I begin to run out as

26:28

she goes click.

26:29

But I've now exposed hair as lock on my head.

26:31

It looks like the hair leapt off

26:33

of my head because I saw

26:35

a snake at my elbow.

26:37

That's how bad. So you know what else I want to post.

26:39

In prepping for this, we talked about animals and weird animals

26:42

and people who collect weird animals, and

26:44

especially emotional supporter because

26:46

we always see at the at the like the Farmer's market

26:48

or Sunday the guy with the cockatail on the shoulder for

26:51

the exotic pets screaming for attention. Yes,

26:53

but there's a guy, his name is Joseph Hanney,

26:55

who is an emotional support alligator that he

26:58

takes the schools. He carries it like a baby he

27:00

sleep, but he sleeps with it and

27:03

it looks so adorable. And I would

27:05

never think that an alligator could

27:08

have that kind of relationship with somebody.

27:11

If you seen the video, have you seen this? Google heem David Gogo,

27:14

I just have that. It's stunning.

27:16

Right, the thing is has a relationship

27:18

with I hope it works out. It's

27:21

working out. He's had it for a long time. And

27:23

I promise you, before that animal and he apart

27:25

from.

27:25

This world something, it's going to be sitting

27:28

next to me on an airplane. Because I get the people

27:30

who bring their emotional support

27:32

animals. Okay, please, I don't understand

27:35

that world. We should do an episode about emotional support

27:37

animals and people that need them and why it happens.

27:39

I don't mean to denigrate

27:41

anybody, but.

27:43

For God's sake, yes

27:45

you do, Yes you do. I have seen

27:47

pop gully pigs. I have seen

27:49

somebody brought a peacock. A peacock

27:52

on an airplane. I didn't sit next to that one.

27:54

But so are we? Where are

27:56

we? What do we doing? What kind of person has the whole

27:58

world of animals to pick from? And I don't

28:00

want a puppy.

28:01

I want I need a pincock, an

28:05

emotional support alligator.

28:07

Check this out?

28:08

How usually these are for people

28:10

who have anxiety and it comes them.

28:12

How anxious. Do you have to be to go? You know what I

28:14

need? Alligator?

28:15

Google? Hon, is this not the most passive sweet

28:17

alligator? I mean it's stunning, right, it's really shocking

28:20

what this relates.

28:21

Seem to have a symbiotic relationship.

28:23

Have you seen it, Jason, No,

28:26

you've got to watch it. Put it on the website.

28:27

Okay,

28:31

learn where did we miss?

28:33

Yes, David, Yeah, the periscopic.

28:35

That's that's quite a.

28:38

Animals that are not supposed to be in Florida

28:40

are are quite quite

28:43

numerous.

28:44

It just really starts with with

28:46

the Burmese python.

28:48

There are five hundred non

28:50

native fish and wildlife have

28:53

been reported in Florida, and there

28:55

are fifty eight of those species

28:57

who are established, which means they're

28:59

they're they're not they're mating, they're

29:02

doing just fine. You're not going to get rid of them

29:04

now. Fifty eight Oh maybe that's not too bad.

29:06

Well, fifty eight is twice

29:09

as many as the next most

29:11

diverse non native reptile and amfibity

29:14

in community, which would be Hawaii

29:16

at thirty two.

29:17

So everything loves living in

29:19

Florida.

29:20

So apparently, and we should say David

29:22

and Farba, it's because they don't have to state taxes.

29:24

Can I add to that though, because this is a big point,

29:27

is a true point. If you're listeners can go,

29:29

well, you're talking about snakes, but that doesn't impact me, et

29:31

cetera. It does because

29:34

with the climate change, with it's getting

29:36

warmer and warmer, species

29:38

are moving because their environment is no longer

29:41

their native environment because it's changed so much

29:43

as far as right, so they're all a

29:45

lot of species are moving to other places.

29:47

So you're talking about invasive species. The planet

29:50

is changing in a big way as far

29:52

as invasive species. So we're gonna have

29:54

some problems and things we got to figure out. When

29:56

we had the rodent guy, the rat expert, I mean, he

29:58

said, the way to eradicate the rats is to change ours.

30:00

The only way to do is to change our behavior. But

30:03

if they've got half a million pythons down

30:05

there and they're moving north, yeah, and

30:07

we've got areas in cold areas that are

30:09

flooding.

30:10

Yeah, animals are going to be moving on those areas.

30:12

To learn, Peter is all you have to do is get a

30:14

black baggy, jump on the head and put it

30:16

on and put the baggie over the head, and these things

30:18

are little puppies.

30:19

I'm going to try that with my cousin behind the

30:21

years. Do they have ears? I don't know.

30:23

Christmas, I'm trying to have my cousin because nothing

30:25

calms him down.

30:25

I'm going to try that. I

30:28

don't know. You know what, I'm

30:31

done. I'm done.

30:32

We've talked about snakes and I'm squeamish

30:35

and I'm done.

30:35

But we talked about invasive speech. That important

30:38

inder you neighborhood something did

30:41

blame me when you're there, You're an invasive And by the way,

30:44

I love the GOOGLEHN talks about that.

30:45

You know how many things came here they shouldn't be here.

30:47

You moved there

30:49

in Florida, for God's sake, examined.

30:53

You also snowbirds every winterday.

30:56

David. Just know, if we have to get rid of you, a

30:58

little cluck to the head, you'll be on God just

31:00

and then I just.

31:02

On that if you got if you got

31:04

the thing's hair already, yeah, shouldn't you just do it

31:06

off instead of let's lull them to sleep

31:09

and then we cannot.

31:10

No, that's not it's humane.

31:13

If you're killing them when you're stunning

31:15

them, why not you cunning

31:17

them.

31:17

You know, that doesn't kill them. That stuns them.

31:19

So I feel if I'm a snake, I'm going

31:21

get it over with already. What's with this with the

31:23

Well, here's the problem.

31:24

Even if like you know this, if you behead

31:26

the snake and you go, okay, we're.

31:28

Done, it's still doing its thing.

31:30

The body can still coil, the head

31:32

can still bite.

31:33

But if you do the no No Country

31:36

for old men saying and dude, boom,

31:39

it stuns them.

31:39

They're they're essentially brain dead, but they're

31:41

not dead.

31:42

They could still around and go I

31:44

don't know what I'm doing it.

31:48

Oh my god. All right, let's go on a hunt for one

31:50

episode.

31:53

I'm going to the airport. I'll see I'm got my plane

31:55

ticket. I'll see the evil game later.

31:59

Go ahead, Nunsen know us

32:01

snake.

32:01

Us away really now,

32:05

really.

32:07

Really really,

32:10

As another episode of Really No Really comes

32:13

to a close, I know you may have heard

32:15

the legends of the Lost City in the

32:17

Florida Everglades and are wondering

32:19

what the deal is. Well, I'll tell you all

32:21

about it as soon as we thank our guest

32:24

Amy Suey on X. She is at

32:26

Amy Suey on Instagram and YouTube.

32:28

She is at the Python Huntress and

32:30

if you want to see Amy capture her biggest

32:32

Python single handed, you

32:35

can watch her on her website, Python Huntress

32:37

dot com. Find all pertinent

32:39

links in our show notes, our

32:42

little show hangs out on Instagram, TikTok,

32:44

YouTube, and threads at really No Really podcast

32:47

And of course you can share your thoughts and feedback

32:50

with us online at reallynoreally dot com.

32:52

If you have a really some amazing

32:54

factor story that boggles your

32:56

mind, share it with us and if we use

32:59

it, we will send you a little gift.

33:01

Nothing life changing, obviously, but it's the

33:03

thought that counts. Check out our full

33:05

episodes on YouTube, hit that subscribe button

33:08

and take that bell. So here updated when we release

33:10

new videos and episodes, which we do each

33:12

Tuesday. So listen and follow us on

33:14

the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts

33:17

or wherever you get your podcasts. And now,

33:20

was there really a lost city hidden

33:22

in the Everglades? Well, as far as

33:24

researchers know, there sure is

33:27

or was. It's believed the city

33:29

was originally a seminole village. During

33:31

the Civil War. Is rumored that almost

33:33

forty Confederate soldiers may have hit

33:36

out there with a considerable fortune

33:38

in stolen gold, only to be

33:40

killed by Seminole warriors. Why

33:42

the city might have been abandoned is unknown,

33:45

but according to the Florida Sun Sentinel

33:47

and other sources, famed mobster

33:49

al Capone built a three acre

33:52

compound there to house an illegal saloon

33:55

from which he produced moonshine during

33:57

Prohibition.

33:58

Today, vegetation has reclaimed this.

34:00

Area of the Everglades, and no one is

34:02

precisely sure where the Lost City is,

34:05

as no roads have survived leading to

34:07

it. The Seminoles still consider it holy

34:09

ground. This may partly be because

34:11

the Lost City is considered the home of the legendary

34:14

Skunk Ape, a sort of relative

34:16

of Bigfoot. The skunk Ape has been

34:18

spotted, photographed, and even

34:21

encountered, but never actually proven

34:23

to exist, Much like my residual

34:25

payments for this program,

34:28

no really doing

34:34

It Really is a production of iHeartRadio and

34:36

Blase Entertainment.