Today is the first day of The Florida Python Challenge, where snake hunters will enter the Everglades to track invasive Burmese pythons. Up to $25,000 in prizes are up for grabs during this annual 10-day challenge from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
In 2000, Burmese pythons were first identified in Everglades National Park. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), they were intentionally or accidentally released by people who kept them as pets.
Since then, the large reptiles have quickly become one of the most destructive alien species in the park’s history. The population has only continued to grow and now it occupies most of southern Florida. Burmese pythons can grow to over 18 feet long and weigh over 200 pounds. A female Burmese python can lay up to 50 to 100 eggs at a time, and they have thrived in the humid tropical to subtropical climate of the Everglades.
[Related: Scientists propose eating more python.]
Since they eat a wide range of animals, they have greatly altered the food web and ecosystems across the Greater Everglades. A 2023 review by the USGS found that snakes have contributed to declines in possums, cats, foxes, cottontail rabbits, and raccoons. The chances of eradicating them once they spread over a large area are very low.
“The iconic Everglades is a national treasure, and the Florida Python Challenge is a great way to engage the public in understanding the unique ecosystem of the Everglades. Removing invasive pythons from the entire Greater Everglades ecosystem is critical, and we must do everything we can to combat this invasive species,” South Florida Water Management District Board Member Alligator Ron said in a statement. Bergeron.
The hunt begins today and ends at 5:00 PM local time on Sunday, August 18. The goal is to humanely kill as many Burmese pythons as possible. The species is not protected in Florida, but the anti-cruelty law still applies in this situation. Firearms are not allowed in the challenge. The Florida Python Challenge describes an approved two-step process for killing snakes, which involves using a sealed bolt and ensuring the snakes are rendered unconscious during the procedure.
The 2023 challenge yielded 209 pythons. Over the next 10 days, hunters will use designated areas that stretch from western Broward County to the Tamiami Trail in the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area. Other locations include Southern Glades, Holey Land, and Rotenberger. There is in-person and online training on how to identify these snakes.
The top prize of $10,000 will be awarded to the individual who catches the most pythons. There are three general categories – beginner, professional and military. The person who catches the most pythons in each of these categories will win $2,500, the runners-up will receive $1,500, the person who catches the longest python will win $1,000.
The South Florida Water Management District and the state began hiring contractors to tackle the problem year-round in 2017. Since then, more than 11,000 pythons have been removed, with 2,200 removed in 2023 alone. The heaviest python contractors that they caught was a female that weighed 215 pounds and was approximately 18 feet tall. It was captured by Southwest Florida Conservation biologists in 2022.
[Related: Why are there so many snakes?]
Former government contractor and self-proclaimed “Python Huntress” Amy Siewe won the 2023 prize for longest python. She caught a snake that was 10 feet 9 inches long. She will not be participating this year due to knee surgery. She told him Associated Press that she is not a fan of this annual challenge, as it has begun to draw large crowds that may be scaring off the pythons and hunters may kill native snakes — including cottonmouths, corn snakes and brown water snakes — that confuse with pythons.
“Pythons don’t get their normal behavior pattern because there’s so much traffic and they’ll go up and then go back into the swamp,” Siewe said. AP. “I feel for myself, it’s counterproductive.”