The Florida Python Challenge 2025 began this Friday, July 11.
The python capture competition is part of the state’s campaign to eliminate these invasive snakes, which threaten native wildlife in the Everglades, according to authorities.
Participants who register for the event will compete to capture the most Burmese pythons and even the largest ones. This year, prizes will come from a $25,000 prize pool, divided into several categories ranging from $10,000 for the hunter who captures the most snakes to $1,000 for the one who captures the longest snake.
It is estimated that there could be tens of thousands of Burmese pythons living in the Everglades and surrounding areas. According to FWC, around 23,500 snakes have been removed since 2000 through various state programs, as of April 2025.
COMPETITION RULES
There are rules governing the removal of Burmese pythons. For example, the use of firearms is prohibited, along with the use of dogs or other animals to assist in the hunt.
Participants will be disqualified if they kill a native snake or damage, destroy, or remove eggs from a native species.
Additionally, only professional hunters are allowed to transport live pythons. Novices must humanely kill the python immediately at the capture site.
The competition ends at 5:00 p.m. on July 20, 2025.
To view all the rules and disqualification reasons, click here.
WHY THEY MUST BE REMOVED
The goal is to reduce the impact of this species, primarily in the Everglades, the vast wetland in South Florida that is home to numerous animal and plant species.
According to FWC, Burmese pythons have a significant impact on Florida’s ecosystem and threaten native mammal populations.
“They feed on native species and can locally reduce their populations. Research is being conducted to determine the impacts pythons have on native mammal species. While pythons will eat common native species and non-native species like Norway rats, they can also consume threatened or endangered native species,” explains FWC.
Most of the python population is concentrated in Everglades National Park in Miami-Dade County, but according to FWC, Burmese pythons are currently established from the southern shore of Lake Okeechobee to Key Largo and from western Broward County to Collier County. They have been found in Southwest Florida in Naples and near Lake Okeechobee.
In July, a 22-year-old captured a 19-foot-long, 125-pound female Burmese python in Big Cypress National Preserve in South Florida, the largest ever caught in Florida, according to authorities.
Image: T51
