Florida wants to pay you to stop pythons in the Everglades. How you can be a snake hunter
The snake hunt is on again.
It’s already been a year since Florida’s fight against the invasive Burmese python hit a milestone — 5,000 snakes captured in the Everglades. Wildlife managers started paying hunters to remove the destructive constrictors in 2017.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, South Florida Water Management District, the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida and the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis have announced the start of this year’s Florida Python Challenge.
The 2021 edition bowed Friday, July 9. This year, participants can win $10,000.
According to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, more than 450 people have signed up for the competition, which has a goal of removing invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades and to increase awareness about invasive species and the threats they pose to Florida’s ecology.
Why there’s a Challenge
Last year, “Alligator Ron” Bergeron, a water district board member and an avid python hunter, told the Miami Herald the Everglades scored its victory because “each invasive python eliminated represents hundreds of native Florida wildlife saved.”
Burmese pythons prey on birds, mammals and other reptiles. A female Burmese python can lay 50 to 100 eggs at a time. Since 2000, more than 13,000 Burmese pythons have been removed from the state, according to the FWC.
Bergeron said for this year’s hunt, the aim of the Challenge remains necessary.
“This Python Challenge is one of the more unique ways we are stepping up our efforts to battle these invasive pythons as well as engaging the public to help us in this fight,” he said in a statement. “With the public’s help during this Challenge, we can continue to make progress against these pythons and we can continue to make the Everglades a healthier ecosystem now and for future generations.”
Added FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto: “We will continue to carry the torch of Everglades conservation so that future generations can enjoy this amazing ecosystem.”
What can you win?
Participants in the Professional and Novice categories can win prizes for removing the most and longest Burmese pythons. The $10,000 grand prize goes to the eligible participant who removes the most pythons as part of the 10-day competition, the FWC said.
How do you sign up?
People interested in competing can still register through the last day of the competition, July 18, at FLPythonChallenge.org. There’s a $25 registration fee and participants must complete a free online training to compete.
Details on the site include training, more about the pythons and the Everglades, and resources on how to plan a South Florida trip to take part in the Challenge.
