As Dusty “Wildman” Crum and the rest of the Guardians of the Glades team work to save the Florida Everglades, the python bounty hunter has his work cut out for him, with the invasive species’ skyrocketing population threatening native animal populations more than ever before. Ahead of Tuesday’s Season 2 premiere of the Discovery series, Crum opened up to PopCulture.com about the intense ride ahead.
While Burmese pythons have been threatening local wildlife in the Everglades since the 1970s, when pets were first released or escaped into the wild, things got far more dangerous in 1992, when Hurricane Andrew demolished a breeding facility and unleashed 900 baby pythons out into the wild. Despite the best efforts of experts like Crum, heading into Season 2 of Guardians, the pythons have doubled in size and number, with the state of Florida increasing the bounty for hunters who bring in the invasive snakes.
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“It means that our work is really just beginning,” Crum told PopCulture.com of the step up the snakes currently have. “What we’re finding is the food sources in some areas have been decimated, forcing the pythons to spread to new areas. …One thing I didn’t think is the snakes could travel through the salt water, but they’re island hopping.”
With the pythons spreading the territory every day, Crum has had to rely on his relationship with the earth, as well as top-of-the-line technology and a team of dedicated experts.
“You have to adapt. It’s a learning process every day to traverse new areas every day,” he explained. “You have to read the earth like a sign every day.”
The snakes aren’t going down without a fight, however, and with new body cams, viewers will get to see the dangerous tussles up close and personal: “There’s a lot of good hunts and a lot of blood,” Crum teased, saying he got bit more than usual this season. Don’t let that keep you from tuning in, even if you’re a bit squeamish, he insisted.
“If you’re scared of snakes, don’t let that stop you from watching,” he explained. “This is about Florida’s ecosystem. It’s about what’s happening in our world.”
Guardians of the Glades returns for Season 2 Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 10 p.m. ET only on Discovery and Discovery GO.
Photo credit: Discovery
