Snakes have long been prized for belts and purses, but a group of veterans capture them for another reason — therapy.
Members of the Swamp Apes, a group mostly made up of military veterans, say catching pythons in the wild is an effective way to put combat memories in the past.
"It's kind of like a retreat," said Cesar Sanchez, 28, of Miami, a disabled Army vet injured by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2009.
By forcing veterans to deal with the tough conditions of the Everglades — and then catch potentially dangerous snakes — they're "distracted" from their military ordeals and able to find a sense of solace, said Tom Rahill, the group's founder.