The snake is not native to the state, and began appearing in the Everglades in the 1980s when it was likely introduced as an escaped or released pet.
The contractor program -- The Python Elimination Program -- is led by commission and the South Florida Water Management District, which is funding the new mercury study. So far, more than 6,000 pythons have been removed from the Everglades through the program. "We expect the results are going to discourage the public from consuming pythons, but if we can determine that they are safe to eat, that would be very helpful to control their population," he said.When pythons are safe to eat, they can actually be quite delicious, says Donna Kalil, one of the program's python hunters.
"It's really good when you cook it right," Kalil told CNN."This would be a wonderful way to get more people involved with helping us remove pythons from the environment. It would be a good thing for people to hunt and eat them but we need to make sure they're safe first."