For two days in the Florida Everglades, a set of robotic decoys designed to attract Burmese pythons appeared to work as intended. The devices, shaped to resemble rabbits and equipped with heating elements, scent emitters, and motion-activated cameras, drew in several large snakes. On the third day, an alligator approached one of the decoys and destroyed it in a single bite.

The incident highlighted an unexpected complication: the artificial prey attracted not only pythons but other predators in the swamp. Reports from the field suggested that alligators damaged a number of the units, and the presence of alligators near the decoys may have deterred pythons from approaching.

The experiment was part of a broader effort to address the Burmese python population in the Everglades, which has grown substantially since the 1990s. The snakes, native to Southeast Asia, became established in South Florida after owners released unwanted pets and after Hurricane Andrew damaged reptile breeding facilities in 1992.

The environment of the Everglades proved well suited to the snakes. The region offers warm temperatures, abundant water, and prey that has no natural defense against large constrictors. A single female python can lay up to 100 eggs, and researchers have documented the impact on local wildlife. In areas where pythons are well established, populations of raccoons, opossums, and marsh rabbits have declined significantly, and examinations of captured snakes have found remains of various bird species.

Efforts to control the python population have taken several forms. Public hunting events, such as the Python Challenge launched in 2013, generated attention but removed relatively few snakes. A paid hunter program produced modest results. Researchers also used radio-tracked female snakes, sometimes called Judas snakes, to locate other pythons, with limited success.

In 2017, Florida brought in two snake catchers from the Irula tribe in southern India, whose tracking skills allowed them to locate snakes that other hunters had missed. But their numbers were too small to cover the vast territory.

A proposal to create a commercial market for python meat was ruled out after testing found high mercury levels in the snakes, which sit near the top of the food chain. A severe cold snap in 2010 killed many pythons, but surviving snakes appeared to be better adapted to cooler temperatures.

Trained dogs were introduced to detect python scent and proved more effective than human searchers, locating snakes that teams had overlooked. The dogs worked in challenging conditions, wearing protective gear while operating in sawgrass and alligator-inhabited water. Even so, a handful of dogs could not cover the entire Everglades.

The robotic decoy project grew out of earlier research on python feeding habits. Studies using radio-collared marsh rabbits found that pythons were responsible for a large share of rabbit deaths in established areas. Scientists first tested live rabbits in protected enclosures, which successfully attracted pythons but raised ethical concerns. The decoys were developed as an alternative.

Each decoy was designed to mimic a live rabbit in several ways: a heating element replicated body temperature, scent emitters released rabbit odor, and motors produced movement. The units cost about $4,000 each, and roughly 120 were placed in high-risk areas of the Everglades. Each contained a camera and transmitter powered by solar panels.

According to accounts circulated online, the decoys operated successfully for the first two days, attracting pythons that approached and struck. On the third day, an alligator arrived at one unit and destroyed it. The same features that drew pythons, warmth, movement, and smell, also attracted alligators, which compete with pythons for prey.

The account further claims that alligators eventually destroyed dozens of units and that pythons began avoiding the areas where alligators were active. It also states that data from the decoys, including movement patterns and timing, was analyzed with machine learning, revealing that pythons followed specific routes through the swamp and avoided areas frequented by alligators. According to this version of events, that information allowed hunters to intercept snakes along those routes and locate nesting areas with large breeding females.

This portion of the story could not be verified with official sources. What is confirmed is that researchers have been testing robotic decoys and tracking technology as part of ongoing efforts to manage the python population. The challenge remains significant: the Everglades spans roughly one and a half million acres, the snakes are difficult to detect, and no method tried so far has come close to eliminating the problem.