Applications for Florida’s annual python hunting competition are now open, in a contest where participants can win more than $30,000 in prizes.
The python removal competition, which runs from August 4 to August 13, is an initiative hosted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissions (FWC).
It aims to remove as many Burmese pythons from the Everglades as possible and offers a cash prize to those who kill the most, or the biggest. The participant who catches the most snakes will win $10,000. This year, there is also $7,500 for the Grand Prize Runner-Up. There are also prizes offered to professional, novice and military categories.
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Burmese pythons are an invasive species in Florida. They were first introduced in the 1970s—likely as exotic pets that were then released into the wild. The snakes, which are native to Asia, thrive in Florida’s sub-tropical climate. Ever since, they have been extremely destructive to the native ecosystem, and their population is increasing.
The snakes eat native wildlife, such as bobcats and even alligators. Large females can carry 50 to 100 eggs at a time, meaning their population has been spiraling out of control.
Anybody can sign up to the challenge, with a small registration fee, including amateur hunters. No hunting permits are required and a person under the age of 18 can take part if accompanied by a guardian.
Last year’s hunt resulted in 231 snakes killed in South Florida—nearly 1,000 people signed up from across 32 states.
The big winner was Matthew Concepcion, who killed 28 pythons in total. Dustin Crum won the prize for the biggest python removed, having captured a snake measuring 11 feet and 24 inches.
The FWC tries to remove pythons from the state year-round. Pregnant females are highly sought after, due to the huge number of eggs they can lay.
The pythons are one of the largest snake species in the world. One of the biggest ever found was captured in the Everglades last year.
The huge snake measured nearly 18 feet in length, and was found to be carrying a record 122 eggs.
After its capture, a necropsy found that the female snake had hoof cores in its digestive tract, meaning her last meal was likely a native white tailed deer.
Last year, Newsweek spoke to an amateur hunter who participating in the challenge.
“I think the Florida Python Challenge is really interesting because it incentivizes every day citizens to go out and help fix a problem that has clearly caused major issues for our state,” amateur hunter Jake Waleri said in August 2022.
“The chance at winning a cash prize gets a lot of people up off the couch and out into nature, and after the challenge is over, many people discover that they actually enjoy python hunting enough to do it regularly in their free time.”
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