Florida is turning to solar-powered robot rabbits to tackle one of its biggest invasive species problems. In 2025, scientists began deploying AI-powered robotic rabbit decoys to lure Burmese pythons out of hiding, making it easier for wildlife officials to capture the giant snakes.
The project is a collaboration between the South Florida Water Management District and the University of Florida as part of ongoing efforts to control the growing python population in the Everglades.
Unlike traditional wildlife monitoring tools, the robotic rabbits are designed to imitate real prey. The solar-powered, remote-controlled devices produce both a heat signature and a rabbit scent, targeting the two senses Burmese pythons rely on most while hunting.
Each robot is fitted with an AI-powered camera that continuously monitors its surroundings. When a python approaches, the system automatically alerts officials at the South Florida Water Management District, who then dispatch a trained python removal agent to capture and remove the snake. The robots are strategically placed in areas where pythons are known to hide, allowing authorities to monitor locations that are otherwise difficult to survey.
How Burmese pythons took over the Everglades
Florida has struggled to control Burmese pythons since they escaped into the wild decades ago. The snakes first arrived through the exotic pet trade in the 1970s, but their spread is believed to have accelerated after Hurricane Andrew destroyed a breeding facility in 1992, releasing more snakes into the wild.
Today, Burmese pythons are among the Everglades' most dominant invasive predators. Conservationists estimate that 100,000 to 300,000 pythons now inhabit Florida's subtropical regions.
Adult females can lay more than 70 eggs in a single clutch, while the snakes can grow beyond 18 feet in length.
According to the South Florida Water Management District, the invasive snakes prey on native mammals, birds and reptiles, reducing food sources for species such as Florida panthers, bobcats and birds of prey.
Their impact has been dramatic. A 2012 study by the US Geological Survey found that raccoon and opossum populations in parts of the Everglades had declined by nearly 99% following the spread of Burmese pythons.
About Burmese pythons
Native to Southeast Asia, the Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is one of the world's largest snakes, capable of growing over 18 feet long and weighing more than 200 pounds. In its native habitat, it is an apex predator that helps regulate populations of small mammals, birds and reptiles.
In Florida, however, the species has no natural predators. Its enormous size, ability to eat a wide variety of animals and exceptional camouflage have allowed it to become a super-predator, thriving across the Everglades ecosystem.
How Florida is fighting back
Florida has long relied on trained contractors and public participation to remove invasive pythons. One of its biggest initiatives is the annual Florida Python Challenge, a 10-day competition that brings together professional and amateur snake hunters.
Participants must complete a safety course before competing, and all captured snakes must be euthanised using methods approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
More than 19,000 Burmese pythons have been removed from the Everglades since 2000 through state removal programmes and public initiatives, according to the South Florida Water Management District.
Officials say the robot rabbit programme is designed to strengthen—not replace—those efforts.
