第2309期: Florida's snake hunters(2)

That project is shared by the wildlife agency and the South Florida Water Management District. Through 2023, more than 18,000 pythons have been removed from the wild. Contractors like Aycock have removed about 11,000.

该项目由野生动物机构和南佛罗里达州水管理区共享。到 2023 年，已有超过 18,000 条蟒蛇被从野外清除。像艾科克这样的承包商已经拆除了大约 11,000 人。

The pay is average. Hunting along backroads pays $13 an hour. Walking through the swamp pays $18 an hour. Contractors also get paid per snake: $50 for the first 1.2 meters in length, plus more for longer snakes.

工资是平均水平。沿着小路打猎每小时 13 美元。步行穿过沼泽每小时 18 美元。承包商还可以按每条蛇获得报酬：前 1.2 米长的蛇为 50 美元，更长的蛇则需支付更多费用。

“You’re not going to make a living doing this full-time. There’s no way you could do it,” Aycock said.

“你不会全职做这个谋生。你不可能做到这一点，”艾科克说。

Florida does not permit hunters to use firearms to kill pythons. Catching them is a hands-on exercise.

佛罗里达州不允许猎人使用枪支杀死蟒蛇。抓住它们是一项动手练习。

Aycock goes into the wetlands to check on known hatching spots and grabs at them when he can. But mostly he drives down empty roads at night, shining a strong light into the swamps.

艾科克进入湿地检查已知的孵化点，并在可能的情况下抓住它们。但大多数时候，他都是在夜间开车行驶在空荡荡的道路上，将强光照射到沼泽地里。

He says these bug-filled drives help his mental health. Sometimes he brings along fellow members of the Swamp Apes, a mental health non-profit organization for veterans. The group catches invasive snakes in the wild, clears overgrown areas, and works toward environmental preservation.

他说这些充满错误的驱动器有助于他的心理健康。有时，他会带来沼泽猿人组织的成员，这是一个针对退伍军人的心理健康非营利组织。该组织在野外捕捉入侵蛇，清理杂草丛生的地区，并致力于环境保护。

The group’s founder, Tom Rahill, is also a snake hunting contractor. He knows the swamp so well that he can smell a python’s “musk” odor. He says he can feel when a snake is near.

该组织的创始人汤姆·拉希尔（Tom Rahill）也是一名蛇狩猎承包商。他对这片沼泽非常熟悉，甚至能闻到蟒蛇的“麝香”气味。他说当蛇靠近时他能感觉到。

There is an art to catching a snake, the hunters say. The methods change from hunter to hunter. Some use a snake hook and then jump on them before putting them into bags. Rahill likes using his hands -- if the snake is calm enough.

猎人说，捕捉蛇是一门艺术。每个猎人的方法都不同。有些人使用蛇钩，然后跳到它们身上，然后将它们放入袋子中。拉希尔喜欢用手——如果蛇足够冷静的话。

“Instead of jumping on the snake, you just kind of gently get up to it and then just pick it up,” he said.

“你不用跳到蛇身上，而是轻轻地靠近它，然后把它捡起来，”他说。

But the snakes are not always calm. Sometimes a hunter needs a helper to keep the snake uncoiled until it calms down and can be contained to prevent escape.

但蛇并不总是平静的。有时，猎人需要帮助来让蛇保持展开状态，直到它平静下来并被控制住以防止逃跑。

Once the snakes are caught, the hunters have 24 hours to take them to the wildlife agency. It is illegal for any person other than a licensed contractor to transport a live, invasive snake.

一旦蛇被捕获，猎人有24小时的时间将它们带到野生动物机构。除获得许可的承包商外，任何人运输活的入侵性蛇都是违法的。

Aycock takes them home first to be “humanely killed.”

艾科克首先将他们带回家，然后“人道地杀害”。

“That’s the part of the job that I really just ... hate,” he said. “I hate having to kill snakes.”

“这就是我真的……讨厌的工作部分，”他说。“我讨厌必须杀蛇。”