not venomous, but you could see their defense right away. >> today, florida declared war on the unwelcome predators of the everglades, allowing a limited number of bounty hunters to dissect the population. >> we have been doing it out of university of florida and smithsonian institution and they're eating anything out there. as you know, the everglades have a number of threatened species and we are trying to bring the species back. today we have an invasive organism, so this is a serious threat. >> and that is just the beginning of a new assault on pythons. >> 911. >> this is an emergency. >> an horrific death in miami is being attributed to a pet python. >> my little baby is dead. the stupid snake got out in the middle of the night. >> the animal reportedly escaped and got into the crib of the girl and crushed her. >> the congress of the united states needs to address this problem in law. >> there with senator bill nelson standing up there with a 16-foot python skin, calling for the ban on the import of all exotic snakes. >> it's just a matter of time before one of the snakes gets to a visitor in the florida evergl

florida declared war. giving bounty hunters permits to kill pythons that are threatening a decades long effort to revitalize the everglades. >> here, we have an invasive organism that's very effective at eating all the species that we're trying to restore. >> reporter: earlier this month, florida senator bill nelson called for a ban on the import of all exotic snakes. but the venom one team worries that will only drive dealers underground. but they always say these snakes are probably here to stay. >> it's going to be nearly impossible to totally exterminate them or eliminate them. >> reporter: there was a time when all you had to fear in the everglades was an aggressive alligator. now, pythons and boas can be added to that list. jeffery kofman, abc news, miami. >>> that is going to do it for "world news" on this sunday. i'm dan harris. icmorrow, on "good morning erama,anxc" esilu iventerview with secretary of state hillary clinton. for all of us here at abc news, thanks for watching, and good for all of us here at abc news, thanks for watching, and good night. captions by vitac

snacking on pipelines in the florida everglades. wildlife officials at the news conference out in the thick of it to explain their plan to reporters. then company showed up. then company showed up. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ i'm sorry. i can't hear you very well. announcer: does someone you know have trouble hearing on the phone? dad. dad, let me help you with that, okay? announcer: now, a free phone service shows captions of everything a caller says. i'd like to make an appointment to see the doctor. announcer: to learn more about captioned telephone, call 1-800-552-7724 or go to our website. i'll see you at 3:00! announcer: captioned telephone - enjoy the phone again! 31 the state launching a plan to eradicate its python population. camera crews on hand as wranglers explain their new mission and it wasn't long before the first assignment came slithering by. fox's melissa medina reports. >> site handler is surging everglades and nabbing their prey, the burmese python. a celebration that these experienced handlers will be doin

happening in the swamp area around the florida everglades. this kind of snake is not native to the area. they're imported from asia as pets. and then they get so by, eat so much and people get weird about them so they let them loose in the everglades. thanks for that a lot. snakes flourish in the wild. they don't have any natural predators out there. not in south florida. they can, get this, jessica, lay 100 eggs per day. so the pythons, you know, they're prolific. this program comes after a young child was strangled in her bed by a pet python. it belonged to the boyfriend of the child's mother and had escaped its enclose you're. with us now is a spokesperson for the state's habitat and species conservation division. patricia was on the scene when they caught the 10-foot bermees python on day one of this program. 10-footer! are you kidding me? >> that's right. shepard: i've seen pictures of pine yojs -- pythons wraps around alligators in the everglades with dead alligator. piejons killed -- pythons killed alligators. >> well, as far as i know

snacking on pipelines in the florida everglades.ficials at the news conference out in the thick of it to explain their plan to reporters. then company showed up. we will show you what happened next. spectacular. women who drink crystal light drink 20% more water. crystal light. make a delicious change. ♪ don't you want me baby? 31 the state launching a plan to eradicate its python population. camera crews on hand as wranglers explain their new mission and it wasn't long before the first assignment came slithering by. fox's melissa medina reports. >> site handler is surging everglades and nabbing their prey, the burmese python. a celebration that these experienced handlers will be doing much more of. they have been given a permit and not have permission to eradicate as many pythons as they can get their hands on. >> until we find him they should be easy to get close to them. >> the titans euthanized them you can hide soul. experts say the wild west show is a must because they are disrupting the everglades fragile ecosystem. >> our bi

. >>> stories we are following -- the hunt is on more 100,000 pythons slithering across florida's everglade. they have no natural predators and they're eating bird and other animals that are native to the everglade. the oscar meyer weiner mobile, got itself into a pickle when it crashed into a wisconsin home. police say the driver thought he had the giant hot dog in reverse, but instead it was in drive. not a moment she will relish, no one was hurt. >>> all right. a thief who broke into a car in north dakota took the owner's driver's license and credit card and left a nice note behind actually. it said the victim had amazing taste in music and advised him to lock his car in the future. >>> they're hard at work in zero gravity. take a look right now. live pictures of two space shuttle "endeavour" astronauts, installing a piece on the international space station. like a big porch that will allow residents to conduct outdoor experiments if they want. getting the piece in place is of course, pretty involved effort, very tricky there. astronauts are using robotic arms from the space station and

last couple of years southeast florida has had an explosion in the number of sightings in the florida everglades and they multifly quick and they have no natural predators. >> florida is club med for pythons. >> the problem is, they eat just about anything they can wrap themselves around. >> they eat our indigenous frogs and our snakes, our pigs, our deer, our alligators. they eat everything. >> this python strangled and eight a 6 foot alligator. >> so the fact that it will go after an alligator tells you it will go after anything. >> so the florida fish and wildlife commission instituted a program that allows for them to find and kill burmese pythons in the florida wetlands. the commission chairman, rodney baretto hoping to expand the program to catch and kill pythons for a bounty, a cash reward. >> shoot them or kill them or take them or however we can eradicate them. i'm in favor of all of the a. >> baretto and others peer the pythons won't just stay in the everglades. >> whether it's georgia, the carolinas, down to new orleans, these are all areas that will soon be home to these large python

it is just a matter of time before one of these snakes gets to a visitor in the florida everglades.nbeatable prices... but now they have new areas where i can find the brands i use every day-- and save even more. so that's what they mean by unbeatable. save money. live better. walmart. or annuity over 10 or even 20 years? call imperial structured settlements. the experts at imperial can convert your long-term payout into a lump sum of cash today. bill: so much for the rally. we have come down on the markets. look at where we are. 8179. the other day i was thinking, are we going to go back below 8000? what are the psychological impacts? megyn: the dow has dropped 7% in the last few weeks. bill: alcoa is giving the market to some reason to cheer. they did not lose as much money as people thought they will it. megyn: that is putting a lot of pressure on them. bill: also, the jobs number. that was not great. megyn: police in miami are searching for two armed men who pulled off a armed robbery at a beauty supply store. watch the video. can you imagine? at one point, they dragged a custom

biologists are going down to the scene to find out why there was such a huge fish kill in the florida everglades. we look at the northeast, from new england to the great lakes. and we're looking at low pressure that continues to drag all of that moisture. pick it up and shake it out in thunderstorms and thunder showers. there may be sunshine between them. but this weekend, some places will get moments of sunshine. then, you pick up thunderstorms and thunder showers. look at the three-day heat. >>sides ut oside around here, ae of bit fog whihich is giving away too sunshine. we got over 2 inches of rain last night. made 80's today. all that weather was brought to you by the national association of realtors. >>> diane, we're ready for you. we're ready to start off this weekend with the party in the park and sean paul. >> i love it. i'll be there shortly. >>> here, we want to tell you how secure your hotel room is and ist.n' an undercover investigation, showing how easy it is for thieves to check in, get right into your room. nothing beats walmart's unbeatable prices... but now they have new areas w

temperature, the migratory waterways in places like the prairie potholes in the dakotas and the florida evergladesand the northward movement of tropical species, those are all the kinds of issues impacted by climate change. i would recommend this recommend this document that has looked at i look very much forward to working with the members of the committee the united states senate and with my colleagues steven chu, and ms. jackson and tom sill vak as we address with significant issues of our time and this is at reducing our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. it's about making sure that we save our children from the dangers of pollution and that we create jobs right here in america. >> thank you. senators, we need to make a decision and senator inhofe and i have conferred and see if you agree with this. because we took so long for opening statements, god bless everyone, us all, we're running quickly out of time to get to our second panel. we have some very good people we want to hear from. if it's okay with everyone else, senator inhofe and i are recommending that we have just 3 minutes each to

. >> it is just a matter of time before one of these snakes get to a visitor in the florida evergladeser of snakes being imported here. ron mcgill, our good friend from the miami metro zoo, here with examples of exotic pets that people have turned loose or sometimes escaped. they can have deadly results. you'll help us avoid that. great to have you back with us. >> this is a real big problem now. this is a burmese python, an albino, they breed them to become this color and sometimes they're this size, sometimes smaller. about a year old this snake grows quickly. eventually it will turn into something like this. >> wow. and how quickly does it become something like that? >> you know, snakes grow, according to what they're fed and how big their environment is. a snake can grow to this size within five years. you can get to a snake to be within this size. these are not malicious monsters. they're not going out seeking people. they're not very bright. they feed on small, warm blooded animals. if you find a toddler or a pet, or anything like that, they don't decipher whether it is the human

the florida everglades is a great national treasure. the everglades' combination of abundant moisture and rich soils and subtropical temperatures traditionally supported a vast array of species. flood control and reclamation efforts in the 1940's and the 1950's manipulated the everglades, redirecting freshwater destined for the everglades out to sea. the ecosystem was harmed by degraded water quality, pollutants from urban areas and agricultural runoff, including pesticides and excess nutrients, have harmed plant and animal populations. the comprehensive everglades restoration plan that i support will capture freshwater destined for the sea, the life blood of the everglades, and direct it back to the ecosystem to revitalize it. at the same time, the project will also improve water supplies , provide flood control for south florida and protect wildlife. now my colleagues in the south florida delegation and i have worked closely with appropriators to secure funding for this important project. i'm thankful to my colleagues and i'm pleased

this is what is capable of happening with 180,000 of the pythons in the florida national everglades park. sooner or later a burmese python will get the endangered florida panther. sooner other later, for an unsuspected tourist in the everglades national park, there will be an encounter with a human. and tragically, it took this events of the strangulation by one of these snakes, of a child within their own home, in the child's crib, to bring this to our attention. this wednesday there will be a hearing in senator boxer's committee. i will be testifying. i will by further evidence than these photographs. here are wildlife officers encountering -- and you can only see part of the snake -- with an attachment that grabs the snake from right behind the head. in this case it is probable a 6.5-footer, relatively small but you can see the size. this is solid muscle. that's why these constrictor snakes have the capability of afficapability ofstrangling the. their jaws can totally open up as they ingest the entire victim into their body. and that's why in the old phrase "a pig in a python," that's

florida. in the everglades jeff burnsid for msnbc. back to you, alex. >> aight, jeff, thank you. > a private swim club in suburban philadelphia is trying to explain a defend y it turned away so minoty kids who signed up use the pool. representatives of that pool say it had thing to do with race but instead say it w an iue of overcrowding and safety. but oneof the initia explanations given by that pool was that the mostly black and hispanichildren would change, e, t docomplexion of the club. pennsylvia state authorities are now investigating that pl. radio show host j madisoan alsorom philadelia, dom giordano from 1210 a.m., gentlemen with ahank you to u. i know you're investigating in terms of whatour thoughts are on thisnd your listeners i'll go to you fst this time, dom, race rlations in the philadelphia area. is this highlighting something thats common in this area? how do youxplain this? >> i would sayno, alex. we just elected michael nutter to be the mayor of the cy and it's the first time really in the city's history wher whites

florida keys. so how are they getting sneer the pythons can travel up to a mile and a half a day and wildlife biologists say they some may be swimming from the southern tip of the evergladesiologists are concerned they'll devour pets and endangered species or menace small children. only way to prevent the spread is catch them. they have classes for officers and park rangers. >> this is not fun. when he's facing me. >> reporter: on how to do just that. >> you have a big python hook. >> reporter: they're nonvenomous but as i found taking the training class, they have no problem coming after you. the idea, get behind them, grab their tail, tire them out. don't take your eyes off of them. work your way to the business end, grab it. i handled the first two eight footers alone and needed help with the 12 footer. as soon as i had him, he coiled. oh, look at that. wow. >> it's pretty powerful. doesn't get up around the neck. >> reporter: how do i get him off of me? >> very carefully. >> reporter: thank you. with no natural enemiest predators move to the top of the food chain. bad news for the prey and the people of south florida. john zarrella, cnn, big pine key, florida. >> toug

florida. these burmese pythons are taking the everglades by storm and so now there is a bounty out on these thingsl tell you why there's such a problem and we have a couple of them live in the studio which we'll decide whether or not we should pick up. and that, plus a lot of other good stuff, too. stay tuned and we will have it here for you. the boa constrictors aren't bad. just don't make them nervous. >> we have been warned they can only take so much time on the air before they are agitated like certain oar cons we know. >> no one we will mention here harry. we'll be watching. thank you. >>> comic khan is a huge entertainment convention going on in san diego but it is more than comic books. kristin fisher has a look. >> i will be honest i never heard of comic khan until producer dan told me about it this morning in case you too are clueless it is a comic book stand convention held in san diego every year since ' 70. now, i may have never heard about it until isthmorning, but veisigry bl very big deal o the web. the minute i th o r it on-line it waits really inerywhere fact it is one of the ics

she agreed to take me deep into the florida bay at the edge of the everglades to witness a unique huntinged mud ring feeding. >> it's kind of a rare opportunity to see this. dolphins are in a very remote area. often they're in, you know, less than three feet of water. and it only occurs here. >> reporter: it's white knuckle driving through shallow depths as we maneuver to track the animals. >> this is prime mud ring feeding habitat. in fact, sometimes we'll even see them hydro plane across the bay. >> reporter: after an hour of searching, a few curious guys come to meet us. left, left, left, left, left. oh. hello there. researchers are just beginning to understand the ingenious ways dolphins have adapted to hunt. in australia they've been spotted using sponges as tools to clear away debris. and dolphins in the caribbean burrow into the sand to nab their food. some chase their dinner. others force their prey ashore and then strike. they've even been known to bite fish from some unlucky fishermen. >> oh, no, no! >> mud ring straight ahead. they're rushing in. see the one. there you go. you'

but they're a population in florida in the everglades that is down there reproducing, eating alligatorsa liver otter. an asian species. we have a north american species that's a little bit bigger. so much fun to watch in the wild if you're canoeing, kayaking. >> an egg. >> it's not dangerous, right, a little otter? >> anything with a mouth can bite so we don't want to put our hands too close. >> that includes males. that includes males. >> how cute is he? he's totally adorable. >> what do they eat other than hard boiled eggs? >>> in the wild, fish and crayfish and frogs. >> if you do encounter one of these? >> you should watch it, look at it, have a great time doing that but you should never try to putsch it, pet it, make it a pet. because they are wild animals. and if they have a mouth, they will bite with you. and they will not mess with you if you don't mess with them. let's bring on our next critter. >> stuff running around. okay. take the leg. take the egg. >> really, really cute little guy. one you can hold if you want. >> i'd like to hold that. >> oh, hoda you're so brave. >> oka

everglades summer camp. >> rob: having been in spring training and playing golf there there are alligators everywhere. i went to florida southern in lakeland. the nickname was the moccasin. >> bob: willie harris is like that. he is everywhere. easy play for willie. and ross gload is gone. jordan zimmerman should have retired four in a row but they bought phone got bonifacio caught running. >> rob: how about that wake-up call for morgan and burr sunset. >> bob: they were in pittsburgh last night. unless jordan zimmerman -- knock on wood -- goes the hold way or gives the ball right to macdougal, he expected to see sean burnett pitch today. if not, get him in there friday. his last aexperience for the pirates was on sunday. there is nyjer and then sean in the background. >> rob: pretty sweet ride out there. these guys in pittsburgh have a lot of money? >> bob: i'm sure mike wallace took care of that or rob mcdonned. >> rob: i know in my days, i was lucky to have some guy take me to the ballpark. >> bob: i can see dibble coming to the ballpark in a rickshaw. there is jeremy hermida. wait until that guy straps on and gets o

to happen. >> reporter: florida senator bill nelson said it's only a matter of time before there's another attack. >> sooner or later, for an unsuspecting tourist in the everglades national park, there will be an encounter with a human. >> reporter: attempts to rid florida of these exotics have included beacons and planted and captured snakes to trap them back to their nests. dogs like python pete, trained to sniff out the serpents. >> there it is. good boy. >> reporter: and classes. >> that's the way to do it. get yourself where you can lunge at the head. don't miss. >> reporter: where increasingly pythons are showing up. the battle is so serious, there are federal plans to take it high tech. >> there's a possibility of using remote controlled airplanes with thermal sensors to detect pythons. >> reporter: experts warn unchecked the pythons will spread beyond florida. but, they say, even killing every snake they can find may be a case of too little, too late. >> this is just one tool that's going to be in the tool box. i mean, this is not going to be the silver bullet. >> reporter: how did the government let this happen? well, the state of florida three years ag

everglades. the pet trade animals, they have done a good job of putting in regulations here in florida, making peoplethe proper licensing permits and they have also inspected those individuals to make sure that the cages of those animals are secure. unlike the tragedy that happened earlier this month was an unlicensed, unpermitted individual that had that animal. >> so why breed them? >> just as people have done for years with all animals, it is just an animal that we like. as reptile lovers, we hate the fact that these animals have to be euthanized but now once these animals are in the everglades, they are wild pie thons at this point. the animal i am holding in my hand, you can see extremely how dos sill this animal is. it was bread in captivity and been handled from the time it was a juvenile animal. these larger pythons that we find in the everglades would not make good pets. there is really no place to put those animals. fwc has made the decision that the animals would be euthanized and possibly the hides and meat may be used in another market. >> have you ever been bitten by one? >> the juvenil

the florida keys serves as the entry point to everglade national park. it's surrounded by the national marine sanctuary as well as one of the largest and most vibrant coral reef systems in the world. this is an area of national treasure and as such, ensuring the cleanliness of the waters surrounding these important ecosystems should be a national concern. since being elected to represent the florida keys in 2002, i have fought hard to bring federal funding from washington to the florida keys for its florida keys wastewater project. to date, the area has received more than $35 million in congressionally appropriated dollars. i am pleased to note that construction has already started throughout the florida keys. and yes, while more federal fund something needed, i am thankful for the commitment made by fleast residents and elected officials to utilize existing federal funds in the near term. the florida keys is an area of great beauty, but we must be aware that even in paradise people go through struggles and through hard times. and these hardships take ma

everglades restoration as a national priority. it's historical. mr. speaker, h.r. 3138's commitment to florida's priorities are also something to be mentioned. the beaches of south florida are some of the most beautiful in the nation but our coasts are facing a real crisis. they've become seriously eroded, endangering both the personal property and the personal safety of residents and guests. my district in south florida encompasses over 75 miles of beautiful coast line on the atlantic and has numerous shore construction projects but many are mired in the army corps of engineer's permitting process. there are a lot of reasons why the permitting process is not as efficient as it could be but one problem we can address right here is the understaffing at the army corps of engineers. for example, palm beach county which is one of the counties i represent was forced to pay out of its taxpayer dollars the salary of an additional corps of engineers staffer for projects awaiting action. palm beach county became fed up with waiting year after year for the corps to act on their permit applications so they

if he thought the west was wild, florida was the last untamed place down to the swaps in the everglades these were a lot of ex confederates on the land who could not stand the federal government. their view was, if it is a bird, i will shoot it. roosevelt's place -- his first place was pelican island, florida. these are 1902 surveys of pelican island which is like a dollop of land. it was an incredible pelican resting area. this kind of information, these documents are talking about the bird life. it is the first mapping we have of this part of wild florida. these ornithologists and frank chapman in particular, they eventually got to t.r. who was a fellow ornithologist who said, we're going to lose the birds of florida of we do not do anything. roosevelt looked into it and famously said, is there anything to stop me? i so declare a federal byrd -- federal bird refuge. before that, you had a fat -- a yellow stone that was for people. there was a sign that said "no trespassing." i can go to the island, look at the birds, talk to people. i had to come here to see documents like this. if yo

in floridament one of the most incredible things in florida this time of the year are the incredible thunderstorms that roll in off of the everglades> the skies open up, you're drenched. and about 15 minutes later -- clear sky again. >> but like pouring water on the rocks on the steam. it makes it hotter. karen is monitoring the weather this morning. what you got? >>> some areas receiving quite a bit of rainfall through the tennessee river valley and the lower mississippi river valley. but, we're expecting for south texas, not a whole lot. not going to be much in the way of change. but back across the panhandle, slight risk of severe thunderstorms later on in the afternoon. in the pacific northwest, not a lot of change going on here. hot temperatures. that will continue as we go towards the end of the week. and we'll start to see those temperatures really drop off. all right, i talked about texas. this is an area that i've been very familiar with. i'm doing a lot of photography. some trips. in some of these areas, right around here in mcallen and brownsville, texas, it's been a year since they've seen any rainfall. this is the wors