Jim WaymerFlorida Today
As Florida embarks on a mass hunt to catch as many pythons as possible in South Florida, the invasive snakes continue to slither every now and then through Brevard, and have been for years.
According to the University of Georgia's Center For Invasive Species, there have been 25 documented sightings of invasive pythons in Brevard County, including a few this summer.
Pythonsswallow any critters in their path that look like lunch. They spread deadly parasitic diseases to our native snakes. But biologists aren't sure about the snake's long-term ecological toll or the best ways to control them.
In the meantime, they're trying to catch as many as the public can.
Python Challenge continues through Sunday
More: How far north will pythons go? As Florida Python challenge begins, people want to know: How far north will snakes go?
The 2024 Florida Python Challenge kicked off Aug. 9, with this year’s event running until 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18, with competitors searching the Everglades to find and remove invasive Burmese pythons.
Hundreds of people have registered for a chance to win up to $10,000 in prizes. But the intent of the event is to protect Florida’s native wildlife and unique Everglades ecosystem.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the South Florida Water Management District and the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida host the annual competition to increase awareness about invasive species in the state and the threats they pose to Florida’s ecology. The annual competition also offers the public an opportunity to get directly involved in Everglades conservation through invasive species removal.
The University of Florida has been using radio telemetryto spy on the serpent when it's looking for love in all the wrong places, especially in the Everglades.
Not all pythons go gently. Earlier this year, Python HuntressAmy Sieweencountered a couple of snakes that put up a fight.
“Florida’s incredible natural resources are like nowhere else in the world," FWC Executive Director Roger Young said in a press release. "Governor Ron DeSantis’ support has been critical in our efforts to remove and manage harmful, invasive species such as Burmese pythons.
The python challenge, Young added, "has become a catalyst for people to learn more about the threats of invasive species in the state and how they can help protect our native wildlife and unique ecosystems.”
“Removing invasive pythons from across the Greater Everglades Ecosystem is critical, and we must do everything we can to combat this invasive species,” South Florida Water Management District Governing Board Member “Alligator Ron” Bergeron said in the release.
Want to compete but not yet registered?
People can still take the required online training and register up until the last day of the competition at FLPythonChallenge.org. There is a $25 registration fee and participants must pass the required online training to complete their registration for this year’s event.
How much is the prize money?
This year, a total of $25,000 in cash prizes is available. Participants can win the $10,000 Ultimate Grand Prize for the removal of the most pythons during the competition. They also can win other cash prizes for most and longest pythons removed in three different categories, including novice, professional and military categories.
Prizes will be awarded at a later date after the competition courtesy of our sponsors and the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida.
Where can I learn more about the yearly python challenge?
TheFlorida Python Challengeis a 10-day competition created by FWC to encourage people to remove pythons from several commission-managed lands in South Florida.
Visit FLPythonChallenge.org to register for the competition, take the online training, learn more about Burmese pythons and the unique Everglades ecosystem, as well as find resources for planning your trip to south Florida to compete in the 2024 Florida Python Challenge.
About Invasive Burmese pythons
TheBurmese pythonis a large, nonvenomous constrictor snake that is an invasive species in Florida. Burmese pythons were introduced to Florida in the 1980s from the pet trade and are now well established in the Everglades, where the snake represents a threat to the ecosystem.
Burmese are found primarily in and around the Everglades ecosystem in south Florida where they prey on birds, mammals and other reptiles. A female Burmese python can lay 50 to 100 eggs at a time.
More than 21,000 Burmese pythons have been removed from the state since 2000, FWC says.
Where can I learn more about Burmese pythons?
Visit MyFWC.com/Python.
Where do I call if a see an invasive python?
Burmese python observations can be reported to FWC’s Exotic Species Hotline at 888-Ive-Got1 (483-4681). Pythons must be humanely killed onsite at the time of capture. Live transport of pythons is not allowed.
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Contact Waymer at (321) 261-5903 or jwaymer@floridatoday.com. Follow him on X at @JWayEnviro.
