Annual python removal challenge 2022: Hundreds of snake hunters gather in Florida

Snakes have been a grave challenge for wildlife and ecosystem in various parts of the globe. Florida is one such state where the Burmese python has wreaked havoc for many years.

In a place where raccoons, deer, foxes, and possums were once in great numbers, there are hardly any left due to the invasion of Burmese pythons. However, since 2013, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has been organizing an annual event to curb the menace of snakes hurting the ecosystem.

August 5 marked the start of the python hunting challenge every year. This year, more than 800 hunters have gathered in Miami for competition and will be plodding through the Everglades of Florida till August 15, searching for Burmese pythons.


Cash Prize and statistics
There are two categories for the cash prize money; one is for novices, and the other is for professionals. Participants who hunt maximum pythons can win up to USD 2,500 in both these categories, apart from additional prizes for hunting the longest python.

The only condition is that one must kill each python and that too, humanely, without killing any native snake, or else the hunter will be disqualified.

Since 2,000, over 17,000 pythons have been removed from the Florida Everglades ecosystem. Last year, the hunters killed over 200 pythons in the competition, aside from all-year removal efforts.

Burmese pythons are not native to Florida and typically prey on mammals, birds, and other reptiles. They multiply faster, as a single female python can produce up to 100 eggs annually.

Less than two months earlier in Florida, a team of biologists captured a 215-pound, 18-feet long female python having 122 developing eggs. It was the biggest Burmese python ever captured in Florida’s history.

The hunters have gathered from 32 states in USA and Canada, and registrations will continue throughout the competition. For eligibility, the participants must complete an online training course while the registration costs USD 25 per person.