Robot rabbits to fight invasive pythons

Will the invasive reptiles find the bionic bunnies tasty?

Invasive Burmese pythons are devastating the natural wildlife in the Florida Everglades, and it is a challenge to root them out of their hiding places to eradicate them.

Now, scientists at the University of Florida are turning to robots to help. Specifically robot rabbits.

The mechanical bunnies—made from plush toys—are solar powered and remote controlled. They moved like real rabbits and even give off the same temperature.

Pythons love bunnies. As the The Palm Beach Post reported, researchers led by professor of wildlife ecology and conservation Robert McCleery have released 40 of these robotic bunnies in South Florida this month.

“We want to capture all of the processes that an actual rabbit would give off,” McCleery said. The idea is to use these mechanical creatures to replace the live, penned rabbits that have been used to lure pythons out of their hiding places.

They’re equipped with a motion-sensor camera that pings researchers when one of the gigantic reptiles approaches.

“If we can see a statistically significant number of pythons that are coming to investigate these robotic rabbits … that would be a success, because right now, pythons do a great job of staying hidden,” Mike Kirkland, lead invasive animal biologist for the South Florida Water Management District, told WINK television news.

And what happens when a python actually eats one of the little furry robots? That remains to be seen.