Swamp Apes Hunt Down Demons-Pythons and PTSD

Military Vets Hunt Everglades Pythons for Therapy and Country
Sunshine State News
By: NANCY SMITH
Posted: June 17, 2014

A small but mighty human force in the Everglades is doing more for Florida with skilled hands and good will than all the misguided billionaires with their causes and cash poking into Florida's election business.

But wait! If a billionaire wants to redeem himself and make a real difference in Florida, read on. I'd like to introduce him to the Swamp Apes.

The Swamp Apes are newly returned military veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq. They're still suffering from residual war trauma. They're home, on friendly soil, but with a sense of mission unaccomplished, they're doing a job few are prepared to do -- hunting down Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park.

And, quite honestly, these veterans could use a benefactor. They could use a billionaire. A lowly millionaire, even -- somebody with a taste for philanthropy and a need to leave a legacy -- to support their important work. Right now they receive no money but supply all the equipment and resources they need themselves. Most of the money comes out of Tom Rahill's pocket.

Rahill, 57, founded the Swamp Apes six years ago. His idea was to help vets overcome their post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by enabling them to spend time in the wild. He's found a way to kill two birds with one stone -- provide vets the wilderness experience and help them complete a mission for the country they pledged to serve. Rahill finds it powerful medicine.
read more here

Florida Python Hunters Facebook
Swamp Apes group gives war veterans missions in the Everglades