The search is on for crocodile hunters in Florida. Sure, it’s a dangerous job, but someone has to do it, and relocating to the Florida Keys means not having to endure anymore long, cold winters. Approximately 150 people have sent in their resumes to help fill the crocodile hunter void in the Miami and Florida Keys region.
Florida Crocodile Response Agents are needed to thwart the growing and roaming population of the giant reptiles in South Florida. The agents are expected to track down crocodiles on an as-needed basis. Florida crocodile hunters garner $25 an hour for wrestling the reptiles into submission and capturing them – no experience necessary.
Frank Resillez noted during a My Fox Tampa Bay interview that crocodile hunting is a dangerous job, but he is willing to accept the challenge.
“You start by the tail, you pull him backward, destabilize his footing, get on his neck and climb,” Resillez noted when demonstrating how to catch a crocodile.
Although a career as a crocodile hunter may sound a bit humorous or exciting, Florida Crocodile Response Agent hopeful Captain John Houpt notes Florida Keys and Miami residents really do need a “little bit of separation” from the reptiles. According to Captain Houpt’s comments to Fox News, the crocodiles may be fun to look at, but, once they get comfortable being around human beings, the reptiles start to look at people as a food source.
Florida Fish and Wildlife considers the American crocodile a reclusive and basically shy species that thrives in saltwater areas of South Florida, the northern end of the crocodile’s Caribbean range. In the 1970s, there were only several hundred American crocodiles in Florida, prompting the reptiles to be added to the endangered species list and making it illegal to hunt the crocodiles. Today there are approximately 2,000 crocodiles in the Florida Keys and Miami area, hence the need for more crocodile hunters. If $25 per hour to wrestle crocodiles sounds like a great way to make some extra cash, the Florida Wildlife Commission is still taking applications.
