U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is calling for tens of thousands of pythons believed to be in the Everglades to be hunted and killed.

Nelson sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Tuesday, asking for permission to have deputized agents and volunteers kill as many of the snakes as possible in an organized hunt.

The senator's request comes after a 2-year-old central Florida girl was strangled by an unlicensed pet python in her home.

Nelson hosted Salazar on a tour of the Everglades last month, in which he advised the secretary of the python problem. He estimated 100,000 of the snakes may be in the park.



MIAMI --A python's eyes were apparently bigger than its stomach. Scientists in Florida are puzzling over a Burmese python that scarfed down a six-foot alligator before its stomach ruptured.They found the carcasses in an isolated part of Florida's Everglades National Park. Photos show the gator's hind legs and tail sticking out of the 13-foot snake's ruptured gut.The Miami Herald reported that scientists can't figure out how the snake got the critter down. The snake's head is also missing.Experts say the clash is interesting, but it also shows the exotic snakes are competing with gators to top the food chain in the Everglades.Park biologist Skip Snow said he's documented 156 python captures in the last two years.