Latest news with #FloridaPythonChallenge2025
USA Today
24-07-2025
- General
- USA Today
Photos show massive snakes captured in Florida Python Challenge
These hunters couldn't just slither their way out of this one! In order to win a cash prize, they had to face a snake head-on. Hailing from the U.S. and Canada, more than 900 people participated in this year's Florida Python Challenge. The annual 10-day hunt, which ran from July 11 to July 20, encouraged participants to remove invasive Burmese pythons from several locations in South Florida, according to The Palm Beach Post and Naples Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Network. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission organizes the competition targeting the invasive Burmese pythons, which pose a threat to other animals in the Florida Everglades. "The Florida Python Challenge is an exciting conservation effort which helps protect the rare Everglades habitat and the animals that live there from these invasive, nonnative snakes," according to the challenge website. The winners will receive a cash prize in the professional, novice and military categories, according to the reports. This year's winners haven't been announced yet. National Parks: Yellowstone officials shut down rumors of animals leaving due to possible volcanic eruption Take a look at the Florida Python Challenge 2025 More photos from the 2025 Florida Python Challenge Contributing: The Palm Beach Post, Naples Daily News, USA TODAY Network. Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Yahoo
Yikes! A look at some of the biggest Burmese pythons caught in Florida snake hunt
The Florida Python Challenge 2025 is in full swing. The annual snake hunt started at 12:01 a.m. July 11. It will end at 5 p.m. July 20. Participants have until July 20 to kill as many Burmese pythons as possible from several locations in South Florida, including the Florida Everglades. The annual event began as a loosely planned scramble in the Everglades, an experiment in incentive-based extermination, a novelty that in subsequent years would help spawn reality TV shows, attract a rock star and entice celebrity chefs. 'The Python Challenge has a cult-like following,' said Marshall Jones, whose family owns Mack's Fish Camp in western Broward County. 'People travel from far and wide to come to it. They camp in tents, bring their RVs, all to catch one of these elusive slithering monsters.' What is the Florida Python Challenge? The Florida Python Challenge is a python removal competition. Participants have nine days to kill as many Burmese pythons as possible. The 2025 python removal competition started at 12:01 a.m. July 11. It will end at 5 p.m. July 20. The competition helps protect the Everglades habitat and all its native animals by removing the invasive Burmese pythons. Why hunt Burmese pythons? Burmese pythons are an invasive species that pose a threat to wildlife in the Everglades. Florida pays hunters annually to catch the snakes. The competition helps protect the Everglades habitat and all its native animals by removing the invasive Burmese pythons. State-approved hunters can win up to $10,000 this year. Here are some of the biggest Burmese pythons caught in the Florida Python Challenge annual snake hunt Can you use a gun to kill a python in the Florida Python Challenge? Participants are not allowed to use firearms to kill pythons during the Florida Python Challenge because there's no established firearm season at the competition locations during the timeframe. Novices must humanely kill their captured pythons immediately after catching them. You can use air guns and captive bolts to kill pythons at any time of day or night. Read more on the rules: Can you use a gun to kill a python in the Florida Python Challenge? Here's the rules Laura Lordi is Digital Editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at llordi@ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida python challenge: Biggest snakes caught during Everglades hunt Solve the daily Crossword
Miami Herald
11-07-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
A $10,000 prize awaits the hunter that catches the most pythons in Florida
Ronald Kiger spent 10 days in one of the most inhospitable areas of South Florida last summer, searching for a massive predator among dense bushes, mangroves, and flooded areas. During that time, he endured the blistering temperatures and swarm of insects. His stay in the Everglades swamps paid off: he managed to capture 20 giant Burmese pythons, considered an invasive species, and took home the grand prize of $10,000 awarded each year during the 'Florida Python Challenge.' When he received the award in 2024, he thanked his family for joining him on the adventure: 'Thanks for putting up with the heat and the bugs. We enjoyed getting out and helping the state.' Hundreds of hunters, both professional and amateur, will attempt to repeat this feat from July 11-20, in an event that combines extreme adventure and the fight against a silent threat in the Everglades: the pythons that are devouring the native fauna of this fragile ecosystem. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) told el Nuevo Herald that registration will be open until the last day of the contest. 'The 2024 Florida Python Challenge resulted in the removal of 195 Burmese pythons from the Everglades ecosystem. Last year, 857 people from 33 states and Canada participated in the effort to eliminate invasive constrictors,' he said. Because registration remains open throughout the event, the FWC will not release the final number of participants or countries represented until the event closes on July 20. 'Every python removed helps protect the Everglades and our native wildlife. The annual contest raises awareness about invasive species in Florida, how individuals can help, and encourages the public to become directly involved in Everglades conservation by removing invasive species,' the FWC said. The Florida Python Challenge 2025 will award $25,000 in prizes, with the top prize being $10,000. The competition is being organized in conjunction with the South Florida Water Management District, and interested parties can register at Aggressive predators Since 2000, more than 23,000 Burmese pythons have been removed from Florida's natural habitat. Pythons are aggressive predators that affect native birds, mammals, and reptiles, disrupting the food chain. A single female can lay more than 100 eggs at a time, which accelerates their spread. The event offers a $10,000 Grand Prize for the registered participant who removes the most pitons. The categories are professional, beginner, and military. 'An exciting new feature this year is the inclusion of Everglades National Park as one of the eight official Florida Python Challenge venues,' the FWC reported. In addition to the event, pythons can be killed on 32 public lands year-round or on private lands with the landowner's permission, without a hunting license. The competition is one of the methods implemented to locate and remove these giant snakes that have invaded the Everglades swamps and that, according to scientists, represent a long-term challenge. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) warned in 2023 that eradication of Burmese pythons 'is probably impossible' and the problem of invasion of this species represents 'one of the most difficult' to solve in the world. Giant pythons are responsible for an 85 to 100 percent decline in the population of some South Florida swamp mammals, including raccoons, opossums, bobcats, rabbits, gray foxes, and white-tailed deer, according to the USGS. Burmese pythons were found in the Everglades swamps in 1979 in Miami-Dade County. They are believed to have been released or escaped from private homes. A breeding population was confirmed in the early 2000s, and they were recognized as an established invasive species. They are currently found in Broward, Palm Beach, and Monroe counties, and along the southwest coast of Florida.
