The 2024 Florida Python Challenge is officially in the books. The annual 10-day event looks to cut down the population of invasive Burmese pythons in Florida’s Everglades.
This year, more than 600 people registered for the challenge – including 108 people from other states and two from Canada – all hoping to win a share of the more than $30,000 in prizes.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the competition not only helps get rid of the invasive snakes, but also educates the public about pythons and their danger to Florida’s ecosystem.
Pythons affect Florida’s native snakes and can spread diseases among native animals. They also have high mercury levels that could be dangerous for native animals and for human consumption, and yes – some people do eat python, despite health officials advising against it.
It’s estimated tens of thousands of these snakes slither freely throughout Florida. Some people buy them as pets or breed them illegally then release them into the wild when they get too big. They may even release them if they just don’t want to care for the snakes anymore.
This year’s challenge wrapped up at 5 p.m. EST on Sunday, Aug. 18. It’s unknown as of yet who won or how many pythons were removed.
Last year, over 200 pythons were removed during the challenge. Twenty of the massive invasive snakes were bagged by the ultimate grand prize-winning hunter.
There are three categories of competition: professional, novice, and military. A winner and runner-up are crowned in each category for who catches the most pythons. There’s also a prize for whoever bags the longest python in each category.
