The Florida Python Challenge 2025 is successful afloat swing. The yearly snake hunt started astatine 12:01 a.m. July 11. It volition extremity astatine 5 p.m. July 20.
Participants person until July 20 to termination arsenic galore Burmese pythons arsenic imaginable from respective locations successful South Florida, including the Florida Everglades.
The yearly lawsuit began arsenic a loosely planned scramble successful the Everglades, an experimentation successful incentive-based extermination, a novelty that successful consequent years would assistance spawn world TV shows, attract a stone star and entice celebrity chefs.
“The Python Challenge has a cult-like following,” said Marshall Jones, whose household owns Mack’s Fish Camp in occidental Broward County. “People question from acold and wide to travel to it. They campy successful tents, bring their RVs, each to drawback 1 of these elusive slithering monsters.”
What is the Florida Python Challenge?
The Florida Python Challenge is a python removal competition. Participants person 9 days to termination arsenic galore Burmese pythons arsenic possible. The 2025 python removal contention started astatine 12:01 a.m. July 11. It volition extremity astatine 5 p.m. July 20. The contention helps support the Everglades situation and each its autochthonal animals by removing the invasive Burmese pythons.
Why hunt Burmese pythons?
Burmese pythons are an invasive taxon that airs a menace to wildlife successful the Everglades. Florida pays hunters annually to drawback the snakes. The contention helps support the Everglades situation and each its autochthonal animals by removing the invasive Burmese pythons. State-approved hunters tin triumph up to $10,000 this year.
Here are immoderate of the biggest Burmese pythons caught successful the Florida Python Challenge yearly snake hunt
The FWC holds an yearly Python Challenge. This photograph was taken during the 2020 challenge. The situation is simply a 10-day lawsuit that awards wealth and prizes to competitors who drawback and termination the astir Burmese pythons. This year's situation is Aug. 9-18.
Jim Turner, of Bradenton, and Dusty Crum effort to power 2 Burmese Pythons they recovered adjacent to each different connected a canal bank, portion hunting spouse ,Bill Booth, of Myakka City, records them connected his video camera astatine the 2013 Python Challenge successful South Florida.
Can you usage a weapon to termination a python successful the Florida Python Challenge?
Participants are not allowed to usage firearms to termination pythons during the Florida Python Challenge due to the fact that there's nary established firearm play astatine the contention locations during the timeframe. Novices indispensable humanely termination their captured pythons instantly aft catching them. You tin usage aerial guns and captive bolts to termination pythons astatine immoderate clip of time oregon night.
Read much connected the rules: Can you usage a weapon to termination a python successful the Florida Python Challenge? Here's the rules
Laura Lordi is Digital Editor at The Palm Beach Post, portion of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You tin scope her at [email protected].
This nonfiction primitively appeared connected Palm Beach Post: Florida python challenge: Biggest snakes caught during Everglades hunt