Robotic Rabbits Lure Burmese Pythons in Florida
Researchers are testing motorized, heated toy-rabbit decoys to attract invasive pythons into camera-monitored pens for removal.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Reptiles
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South Florida Water Management District and University of Florida researchers converted toy rabbits into robotic python decoys with motors, small heaters and solar power. Field deployment of the robotic rabbits began in July 2025 in the Everglades.
Why it matters
Burmese pythons are not native to Florida and have been linked to declines in several native mammal populations. Finding snakes hidden in dense vegetation has complicated the state's python-control efforts.
The decoys are powered by solar energy and can be switched on and off remotely, sitting inside small camera-monitored pens. Field deployment began in July 2025, and researchers have not yet confirmed whether motion and warmth alone will draw pythons.
The players
South Florida Water Management District
A regional government agency responsible for water resources and flood control across South Florida, which is partnering on the python decoy testing.
University of Florida
A public research university in Gainesville whose researchers are developing and testing the robotic python decoys.
The details
Researchers removed the stuffing from toy rabbits and added electronics so the devices shake, turn and move at intervals. When a python approaches a pen, the monitoring system alerts researchers, who arrange the snake's removal.
Timeline
- 2025: Florida researchers began converting toy rabbits into python lures.
- July 2025: Field deployment of the robotic rabbits began.
Roadmap
Earlier python-control efforts relied on live rabbits that demanded significant manpower and animal care in remote locations. The robotic decoys are an attempt to replace those live lures with a device that can be monitored and operated remotely.
Florida residents and visitors in the Everglades region may see the camera-monitored pens and decoys as part of ongoing python-control work. The technology is still in field testing, so its effect on python numbers remains to be seen.
The takeaway
Robotic lures that can be monitored remotely may reduce the labor of python control, though researchers are still testing whether movement and heat are enough. Readers interested in invasive wildlife can follow how Florida adjusts these methods as results come in.
Further reading
For more on the invasive snakes at the center of this effort, see Reptiles coverage.
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Should governments spend public money on experimental robotic efforts to remove invasive species?
