Traditionally, the Irula tribe's main occupation was catching snakes and rats and harvesting honey. They also work as laborers[8] (kuli) in landowners' fields during the sowing and harvesting season or in rice mills. Fishing and cattle ranching are also important occupations. Rats destroy a quarter of the grain grown on farms in the Tamil Nadu region each year. To control this pest, men of the Irula tribe use the traditional method of fumigation in clay pots. The smoke is blown through their mouths, leading to serious respiratory and heart problems[4]. In January 2017, Masi Sadaiyan and Vadivel Gopal of the Irula tribe from Tamil Nadu were brought in with two interpreters to track down and capture invasive Burmese pythons in Key Largo, Florida, along with tracking dogs[9]. The Irula men and their interpreters were paid $70,000 by the state of Florida and captured 14 pythons in less than two weeks.[10]