Meet Taylor Stanberry from Naples, who became the first woman ever to win Florida Python Challenge with 60 captures

First woman ever to win Florida Python Challenge: Florida wildlife history will always remember Taylor Stanberry. She won one of the hardest wildlife competitions in the state because she had years of experience and a strong love for native species. By doing this, Taylor Stanberry from Naples became the first woman to win the Grand Prize in the Florida Python Challenge.

She caught 60 invasive Burmese pythons in 10 days. Eliminating invasive snakes that endanger regional wildlife and ecosystems is the competition's main goal, as per a report by Wink News.

How did Taylor Stanberry pull off her record capture?

Stanberry expressed her joy at the victory and credited ten years of python hunting experience for her success. She saw the 10-day Florida Python Challenge as nothing more than a continuation of her Everglades work.

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Taylor Stanberry has years of experience as a contracted hunter for the state of Florida and is a proficient Python hunter. She began python hunting because she has always had a strong interest in Florida's native wildlife.

Finding a nest was one of the reasons she was able to capture 60 snakes. In July, when many eggs are hatching, the challenge is held. In a nest, Burmese pythons can lay anywhere from 50 to 100 eggs, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife, as per a report by Wink News.

Why is the Florida Python Challenge so important?

The Florida Python Challenge is more than just a test of endurance; it's a serious effort to protect the environment. Burmese pythons that are not native to the Everglades have killed off many native animals there, such as rabbits, raccoons, and some birds.

The significance of discovering a newborn python was explained by Stanberry.

If you find a baby, like a baby python that is still sticky and slimy, you know it's fresh because it just came out of the egg," Stanberry said.

"And that's when you keep hunting. And a lot of times you'll find babies up in trees and bushes. And that's when you know that the nest of eggs is probably under them because that's one of the few times babies actually climb into the trees. So that's when you really got to hunt. You're hunting through, like I said, the thorny bushes, bugs everywhere," she said, as per a report by Wink News.

What’s next for the Grand Prize Winner?

Stanberry stressed the value of preserving local wildlife and urged anyone considering python hunting to do so for the right reasons.

When asked what she would do with the $10,000 prize, Stanberry said she would use it to help grow her and her husband's work at the exotic animal sanctuary.

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Her win also opens the door for more women to work in professional wildlife management and competitive hunting, which has always been a man's world.

FAQs

How many snakes did Taylor Stanberry catch during the contest?
She caught sixty Burmese pythons.

What will she do with the $10,000 she won?
She wants to use it to help her exotic animal sanctuary grow and thrive.