Throughout history, decapitation has been considered among the most humane forms of execution. But for reptiles such as snakes, it is particularly cruel because the head can remain conscious for up to an hour.
That’s why People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals on Tuesday called on the state to prohibit hunters from using this method to kill snakes during the upcoming Python Challenge in the Everglades.
Snakes’ brains can tolerate a loss of oxygen and blood, allowing them to remain conscious after decapitation much longer than mammals, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The commission recommends using a firearm or captive bolt to immediately destroy the brain, but it still allows decapitation, provided the Burmese python is first stunned with a blow to the head and decapitation is immediately followed by the physical destruction of the brain.
PETA countered that the average hunter, whose training would consist of watching a video from the wildlife commission, would lack the skill to accomplish these actions without causing great hardship to the snake.
“PETA is calling on Florida officials to stop authorizing snake decapitation and make it clear that this egregiously inhumane killing method is unacceptable,” said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk.
In a letter to the wildlife commission, PETA said, “the suffering that is likely to precede the destruction of the brain because of unskilled and thus ineffective stunning and decapitation renders this requirement too little too late.”
Carli Segelson, spokeswoman for the wildlife commission, said the commission will review the letter.
“We believe there is an ethical obligation to ensure a Burmese python is killed in a humane manner,” she said.
The month-long Python Challenge begins January 16 and already has attracted more than 400 registered participants, who compete for prizes for catching the most pythons and catching the longest one.
The previous Challenge, held in 2013 and drawing more than 1,500 participants, resulted in the capture of 68 snakes. The pythons, native to southern Asia, have infested the Everglades since the 1990s, eating native mammals, birds and other wildlife and competing with native predators.
In addition to killing on the spot, hunters may stuff the live snakes into bags and bring them to one of the wildlife commission’s drop-off sites.
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