View Full Version : Escaped pythons linked to secret U.S. Army project from 1960s
According to documents and interviews obtained for his book, Vietnam's Underground War: Snakes, Rats and Boonie Hats, Icelandic author Uno Imnottyourdottr makes the shocking revelation that the python and boa problem in the Florida Everglades was the result of the purposeful release of animals used in a secret U.S. Army/CIA sponsored project to develop large constrictor snakes as weapons to fight in the extensive Vietnamese tunnel network.
Dubbed Operation: Blue River in official documents, and gaining the unofficial name Operation: TubeSnake by wags assigned to the project, thousands of boa constrictors, pythons, and anacondas were surreptitiously purchased by the military from Florida wildlife importers in the late 1960s and early 70s and brought to MacDill AFB in Tampa for processing, before being sent to a secure containment facility deep in the Everglades. Once there, the snakes were evaluated for their ability to be trained and suitability for mission, and were given basic mission testing by species.
Snakes were equipped with a variety of equipment depending on mission assignment. Sensor and camera platforms, including infra-red and millimeter band and side-looking radar, as well as UHF/VHF communications equipment were utilized in the reconnaissance role, as well as a variety of weapons to be used literally as a hunter-killer platform. Weaponized snakes included a variety of munitions including everything from small explosive charges to large anti-tank mines. Chemical weapons such as CS gas and pepper spray were also evaluated, difficulties arising in finding applicable gas mask solutions for the constrictors.
Testing of the animals revealed issues with trainability as well as limited load carrying capabilities. According to Army documents Burmese Pythons were found to be the species most suitable to the mission profile, and after late 1971 only Burmese Pythons were used although weapons and sensor platforms had been developed and successfully tested on snakes as small as 2 feet long and as large as 18 feet long.
According to Imnottyourdottr's book, Operation Blue River was quietly discontinued in 1974 before being tested in combat, and all the constrictor snakes remaining in the project were demilitarized and then released outside of the facility into the surrounding swampland, after Congressional investigations were opened into the CIA's failed attempts to train King Cobras as assassins. It was hope that the highly trained constrictors could be recovered should the project be revived, but military priorities by then had shifted to the Middle East.
This was written by Jeff Barringer at kingsnake.com - the information portal for reptile and amphibian hobbyists. (http://www.kingsnake.com) on April 1st of this year. Just found it pretty interesting figured I would share
Ivanator
10-06-12, 11:56 PM
That is complete bull! We're the ones getting punished for something the military did?!
Yeah pretty bad but typical
RobsCornField
10-07-12, 01:27 AM
Sorry to spoil the fun, but this was an April Fool's joke.
Uno Imnottyourdottr = "You know, I'm not your daughter" if you say it out loud. ;)
Also, on this page: - Escaped pythons linked to secret U.S. Army project from 1960s (http://www.kingsnake.com/blog/archives/861-Escaped-pythons-linked-to-secret-U.S.-Army-project-from-1960s.html) , he admits it was a joke.
(Sorry if I killed the fun, or missed the joke.)
SnakeyJay
10-07-12, 01:56 AM
Lol... I read it outloud to my gf and noticed the name straight away :D
lol I guess i just skipped through some things like the name and the date for instance. My wife is always telling me i should pay more attention lol
Gungirl
10-07-12, 05:28 AM
lol I guess i just skipped through some things like the name and the date for instance. My wife is always telling me i should pay more attention lol
Before even starting to pass along information you really should read it twice then. :unhappy: Things like this can easily get people all pissed off at the military ( in this case) or other groups that really did no harm. If you want to inform other reptile members about something important make sure to get your facts straight.
Kingsnakechris
10-07-12, 07:49 AM
Come on people this was clearly a joke! Trained king cobras as assassins?! I was laughing after reading the title! Gungirl your correct, as soon as anyone says "blame the military" everyone gets up in arms, unfortunate but it is what it is, this little story gave me a bit of a chuckle lol
Kettennatter
10-07-12, 08:15 AM
[...] Trained king cobras as assassins?! I was laughing after reading the title! [...]
You're laughing now, but you haven't seen my ninja garter yet! :D
Kingsnakechris
10-07-12, 08:19 AM
Lol oh please explain your ninja garter! Lmao!
Kettennatter
10-07-12, 08:21 AM
Lol oh please explain your ninja garter! Lmao!
Still in training. So far not much more luck than with the Assassin Cobra. ;)
Wyldrose
10-07-12, 09:21 AM
Aww there goes my hopes of training my snakes to be spys!!
I believe a huge part of the burm issue in Florida is from the huge snake breeding shed's that where washed away during a hurricane.
Kingsnakechris
10-07-12, 09:29 AM
Still in training. So far not much more luck than with the Assassin Cobra. ;)
Haha good luck with that! And yes thats what I heard as far as the burm problem in florida.
DOBERMAN
10-11-12, 05:02 PM
The military actually is studying snakes and their usefulness in black ops scenarios. Whether trained live or embodied within robotic architecture, snakes, are by anatomical design, the most versatile and efficient animal form to incorporate stealth and to navigate all forms of terrain - trees, water, underground, fields, buildings etc.
The part where they voluntarily release the studied snakes back into the Florida swamps is inaccurate.
RobsCornField
10-11-12, 11:42 PM
The military actually is studying snakes and their usefulness in black ops scenarios. Whether trained live or embodied within robotic architecture, snakes, are by anatomical design, the most versatile and efficient animal form to incorporate stealth and to navigate all forms of terrain - trees, water, underground, fields, buildings etc.
The part where they voluntarily release the studied snakes back into the Florida swamps is inaccurate.
Sources/links/articles please?
Roadtrash
10-12-12, 02:16 AM
Train a snake? Please!
DOBERMAN
10-12-12, 10:27 AM
Sources/links/articles please?
Most of the research is presently classified.
Here is a sample pic though.
For further citations, reference - do your own hunting online. This isn't a university paper
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQtLPKEa-RuEPYPr3Zf2Fug1UFfRVVqGBPeDwLFtfMLwZWXY9yi
RobsCornField
10-13-12, 12:14 AM
Most of the research is presently classified.
Here is a sample pic though.
For further citations, reference - do your own hunting online. This isn't a university paper
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQtLPKEa-RuEPYPr3Zf2Fug1UFfRVVqGBPeDwLFtfMLwZWXY9yi
Rude much? This may not be a university paper, but if I find interesting facts or tidbits I want to bring to a forum, I make sure that I post links to articles and whatnot where I found the information so that, should someone feel so inclined, those links can give them a head start on research of their own. Plus, backing up your statements with citations only increases your own credibility, and makes people more likely to actually listen to what you're saying in the future instead of just brushing you off.
DOBERMAN
10-13-12, 09:57 AM
Maybe I mistook you asking me for referenced information as an attack on my credibility instead of genuine interest on the topic. For that I apologize. It's a knee jerk reaction based on examples within countless forums and threads whereby individuals basically dismiss every notion ever presented if the poster of said information doesn't give a plethora of links and citations to back it up. It gets tiresome because I don't really have a lot of time to be on the internet in a day, and spending 10 minutes to back up a statement that took 10 seconds to post really isn't viable.
DOBERMAN
10-13-12, 10:03 AM
Carrying on;
The image presented is in all likelihood a somewhat obsolete model. I can only speculate that current robotic snakes are smaller, faster, more agile, fit into their environment better (real snakelike camo) and with increased capability in optics, sensors, and battery life for recon missions. Of course those images would be classified and not available to the public.
Revenant
10-19-12, 12:40 PM
Maybe I mistook you asking me for referenced information as an attack on my credibility instead of genuine interest on the topic. For that I apologize. It's a knee jerk reaction based on examples within countless forums and threads whereby individuals basically dismiss every notion ever presented if the poster of said information doesn't give a plethora of links and citations to back it up. It gets tiresome because I don't really have a lot of time to be on the internet in a day, and spending 10 minutes to back up a statement that took 10 seconds to post really isn't viable.
That is a hazard or referencing classified material.
DragonsEye
10-19-12, 04:00 PM
An amusing post, OP. :)
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQtLPKEa-RuEPYPr3Zf2Fug1UFfRVVqGBPeDwLFtfMLwZWXY9yi
That picture is ludicrous but does have comic relief going for it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v738/LadyFire/Holidays%20n%20Such/Halloween/Pumpkinsfield01.gif
RobsCornField
10-22-12, 02:59 AM
Maybe I mistook you asking me for referenced information as an attack on my credibility instead of genuine interest on the topic. For that I apologize. It's a knee jerk reaction based on examples within countless forums and threads whereby individuals basically dismiss every notion ever presented if the poster of said information doesn't give a plethora of links and citations to back it up. It gets tiresome because I don't really have a lot of time to be on the internet in a day, and spending 10 minutes to back up a statement that took 10 seconds to post really isn't viable.
I, in turn, would like to apologize for my hastily made, and rather rude retort.
KORBIN5895
10-22-12, 04:44 AM
That picture is nothing but a model at best. The way those joints are set up there is no way for that thing to obtain locomotion.
Will0W783
10-22-12, 07:26 AM
Israel's latest weapon: Robot snake - Technology & science - Innovation | NBC News (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31255615/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/t/israel-developing-battlefield-robot-snake/#.UIVJEWdP98E)
Looks like the picture is of a robotic snake from 2010:
Robot snake is one enemy not to be trifled with | Ubergizmo (http://www.ubergizmo.com/2010/11/robot-snake-is-one-enemy-not-to-be-trifled-with/)
DOBERMAN
10-22-12, 10:42 AM
Insert "snake" where he says "man" "human" and scales when he says "hair" - you get the idea
The Terminator - Combat Chassis - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRAjWO61x4k)
Taken from the movie TERMINATOR
KORBIN5895
10-22-12, 12:34 PM
Yeah.... so I read both articles Kim posted and they were seriously lacking in detail. They actually had no substance. I still say that "snake" is just an artist's rendition of what it might look like and is absolutely non functional.
Zoo Nanny
10-22-12, 01:16 PM
Reading this reminded me of something I heard a few years ago concerning the exotics found in the Everglades. If I remember correctly I read it in "You Belong in a Zoo" by Peter Brazaitis. I hope I have the right source. Anyway what was said was that as exotics were confiscated at the Miami Airport they would just release them into the glades. This was prior to Fish and Wildlife involvement with confiscations.
If you haven't read the book it's a great fun read.
It's not exactly the same one but the build of it looks very similar. The movement of it is not very natural to say the least :robo:
2k1c9lDSsU8&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I think this is the one that the first article talks about that Kimberly posted, again not the most natural movement to it
8t2nFHjtIJQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player
GUITARZAN509
10-22-12, 04:08 PM
Thats too funny !!
DOBERMAN
10-22-12, 08:39 PM
LISTEN......AND UNDERSTAND
That terminator is out there.
It can't be bargained with.
It can't be reasoned with.
It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear
and it absolutely will not stop.
EVER
until you are DEAD.
Roadtrash
10-24-12, 09:37 PM
They're building "insects" with cameras now why not snakes?
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