Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images News / Getty Images
The annual 10-day Python Hunt is underway in the Florida Everglades.
The state's 10-day python removal competition began at 12:01 a.m. on August 9, 2024, and ends at 5 p.m. on August 18, 2024.
The Florida Everglades is a unique ecosystem home to rare and protected wildlife including birds, mammals, fish and reptiles.
However, the invasive Burmese python does not belong in this ecosystem and the snakes pose a threat to native wildlife.
The Florida Python Challenge® helps protect the rare Everglades habitat and the animals that live there from these invasive, nonnative snakes.
There is a $10,000 grand prize for the contest winner.
ZooMiami's Ron Magill says, "Burmese pythons are extremely hard to find and that the hunt, while important, won't make a dent in the invasive snake population."
Report observations of high priority nonnative species to the FWC’s Invasive Species Hotline at (888) 483-4861.
Over the last 24 years, FWC says more than 21,000 Burmese pythons have been removed from the wild.