The Florida Everglades are one of the most diverse ecosystems in the country.
But they are facing a surprising threat.
And hunters are descending upon the Florida Everglades to fight it out in this challenge.
Hunters compete in the Everglade’s annual python challenge
Florida is dealing with a serious problem from Burmese pythons that were brought to the country as pets but have become an invasive species in the wild.
These snakes were brought from Southeast Asia starting in the 1980s but many owners released them when they became too big to manage.
Burmese pythons can grow up to 20 feet long and weigh up to 200 pounds.
They have thrived in the wild in Florida where they have no natural predators.
Pythons have invaded the Everglades and begun to kill off native species like deer, foxes, and rabbits.
That is why Florida is using prizes to encourage hunters to take out pythons.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission holds the annual 10-day Python Challenge in the Everglades and other wildlife areas in South Florida.
Hunters from around the country compete for a share of $30,000 in prize money to bag the most pythons.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission wildlife impact management section leader Sarah Funck said that the challenge also raises awareness about the threat pythons pose to the ecosystem.
“They are a well-established invasive species across much of South Florida, unfortunately, in our natural areas,” Funck said about pythons.
“A huge part of this challenge is to make sure that people understand about this issue and understand that in general, when you have a non-native species present in the state for whatever purpose, don’t let it loose, that can be really detrimental to our environment,” Funck added.
Celebrities have gone after pythons
This year over 600 people signed up to participate in the Python Challenge, including two people from Canada.
Late summer is when pythons begin to lay their eggs.
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and his son, Jack, killed and cooked up pythons they caught in 2017 for his reality show The F Word with Gordon Ramsay.
Florida Wildlife Commission python management coordinator Zachary Chejanovski said that the challenge is too big for his agency to handle alone.
“The python problem, it’s a big problem,” Chejanovski said. “We want to make sure to get the word out as much as possible, because we can’t do this alone.”
Hunters captured 209 pythons in last year’s challenge with the top prize going to Paul Hobbs who caught 20 of them.
But not everyone is a fan of the challenge.
Famed python hunter Amy Siewe, nicked named Python Huntress, contracted with the state to catch pythons.
She was given a prize last year for catching a python that was 10 feet 9 nine inches long.
Siewe said that the large number of hunters in the challenge caught native snake species by mistake and scared the pythons into hiding.
“Pythons don’t take on their normal behavioral pattern because there’s so much traffic and they’ll come up and then they’ll go back into the swamp,” Siewe said. “I feel for myself, it’s counterproductive.”
Floridians are fighting a tough battle to get the state’s wild python population under control.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
