The Florida Python Challenge is fast approaching, and hunters can sign up now to euthanize as many invasive Burmese pythons as possible in 10 days to help protect the Everglades (and potentially win up to $10,000). But keep your gun holstered and your AR-15 at home.
Burmese pythons — large, nonvenomous constrictor snakes — are native to South Asia, but since they were introduced to Florida, they have posed a serious threat to wildlife. Burmese pythons reproduce in great numbers, according to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and eat anything from eggs to small deer.
A 2012 study suggested that in Everglades National Park, pythons were responsible for a decline of 85% to 100% of the population of medium-sized animals such as raccoons and rabbits.
To help control this, every year the state encourages hunters to thin the Burmese snake population with a competition and prizes. But the snakes must be killed humanely, and guns are prohibited. So are using dogs, drones, traps and off-road vehicles, or killing snakes that are not Burmese pythons.
What is the Florida Python Challenge?
The Florida Python Challenge is a python removal competition held every year since 2013 to increase awareness of the invasive species and keep the population down. The 10-day event takes place in eight locations in South Florida, you can’t kill them in your backyard and count them in your numbers.
When is the Florida Python Challenge?
The Florida Python Challenge is a 10-day event, running from 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 11, running through 5 p.m. Sunday, July 20.
Prizes are awarded for the most pythons removed and the longest python removed in different categories such as professionals, novices and the military. The big prize is $10,000 for the participant in any category who removes the most pythons.
There were 209 snakes caught during last year’s challenge.
Are there other times when you can kill Burmese pythons?
Yes. Professional python hunters in South Florida are earning an additional incentive this year to bag more of the invasive snakes before the annual Python Challenge.
The South Florida Water Management District began a trial program in January that awards a $1,000 bonus for the contract hunter that catches the most Burmese pythons each month.
In May, the prize went to Donna Kalil, who tracked and killed 16 of the apex predators, which have brazenly eaten their way through the Everglades ecosystem, devouring everything from rabbits and alligators to full grown deer.
What does a bite from a Burmese python look and feel like?
How do I register for the Florida Python Challenge?
To compete in the Florida Python Challenge, you must read the rules, take the required online training, and then register at flpythonchallenge.org. You must keep a copy of your registration confirmation email (print or digital) with you at all times if you’re out removing pythons for the competition.
What happened at last year’s Python Challenge?
More than 850 people participated in the 2024 Python Challenge, with Ronald Kiger of Marion County winning the $10,000 grand prize. He brought in 20 Burmese pythons during the contest.
“I just want to say thanks to my family for putting up with 10 days of camping in the swamp with the heat and the bugs,” Kiger said. “We enjoy getting out there and doing it and helping the state out.”
In total, 857 participants competed in the challenge from 33 states and Canada. They removed 195 pythons.
Veteran python hunter Donna Kalil, who is contracted with the South Florida Water Management District, took home $2,500 for bringing in the most snakes in the professional category after Kiger.
More: Grand prize winner of 2024 Florida Python Challenge announced
Can I use a gun to kill snakes during the Florida Python Challenge?
No. There is no established firearm season during the time of the event. The use of firearms is prohibited.
How do you kill snakes humanely in the Florida Python Challenge?
In the competition, Burmese pythons must be humanely killed. Novices must kill them immediately at the place they were caught. This species is not protected in Florida but anti-cruelty laws still apply.
The required method is a two-step process:
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Target the brain: Use a tool such as a bolt stunner, air gun or hammer directly between the eyes and jawbone, where the brain is, to cause the python to lose consciousness.
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Destroy the brain: Immediately and substantially destroy the python’s brain and brainstem by “pithing” or inserting a small rod like a screwdriver, pike or pick into the cranial cavity moving it deliberately in several directions.
Burmese pythons must be killed in a humane two-step process that ends in the snake’s brain and brainstem being destroyed after it is rendered unconscious.
You may decapitate Burmese pythons between these steps if done as part of a three-step method recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) but you must still render them unconscious first and pith them afterward.
Anyone found to have inhumanely killed a python will be disqualified from the competition.
Do Burmese pythons eat or kill humans?
No, they do not eat or kill human beings. As far as science knows, no Burmese python has ever killed a human here in Florida.
In Florida, Burmese pythons have been found to prey upon a variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, and even alligators.
A significant reason people likely developed a fear of pythons eating humans is due to Hollywood — take these movies, for example:
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Python (2000): This movie features a giant python that escapes from a research facility and begins hunting people in a small town.
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Snakes on a Plane (2006), starring Samuel L. Jackson: Although not exclusively pythons, this film features a variety of snakes, including pythons, that are released on a plane to kill a witness.
The 1997 movie “Anaconda,” starring a then-unknown Jennifer Lopez, was also about a snake that killed humans, except it wasn’t a Burmese python.
What are the locations where the Python Challenge is taking place?
These eight locations:
∎ Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area
∎ Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area
∎ Everglades National Park
∎ Frog Pond North Public Small Game Hunting Area
∎ Holey Land Wildlife Management Area
∎ Rocky Glades Public Small Game Hunting Area
∎ Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area
∎ Southern Glades Wildlife and Environmental Area
How many people have been killed by Burmese pythons?
Burmese pythons have caused deaths before; however, such incidents are incredibly rare and involve snakes in captivity.
According to the journal Live Science, “Between 1978 and 2009, large constricting snakes killed 16 humans in the United States; at least seven of these deaths were attributed to captive Burmese pythons.”
What happens if you get bitten by a Burmese python?
Luckily, pythons found in the Everglades and other places in Florida are not venomous; however, the bites will still hurt and there can be blood.
In a May 2024 interview with the Naples Daily News, a USA TODAY Network newspaper, professional python hunter Amy Siewe said, “(Pythons) get you and don’t get me wrong – it hurts, but it bleeds so much. That is the most annoying thing. You get used to it. It is what it is. You don’t want to get bitten.”
What is the Burmese python’s behavior like?
According to experts on Spruce Pets, Burmese snakes are actually docile for their size. However, they mention that the semiaquatic snakes are aggressive feeders. If owners only handle the snake or open its enclosure at meals, it may associate them with food.
“Handle these snakes frequently from a young age, or else they will be challenging to hold as they get larger,” Lianne McLeod, DVM, wrote. “Touch the snake gently but firmly, and be persistent if it resists at first. Avoid handling your snake for a couple of days after feeding, or it may regurgitate.”
Where are Burmese pythons found in Florida?
A demonstration on how to handle a Burmese Python during training for the Python Challenge at University of Florida Research and Education Center in Davie, Florida, January 12, 2012.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Burmese pythons are currently considered established from just south of Lake Okeechobee to Key Largo and from western Broward County west to Collier County. Some pythons have been found in Southwest Florida in Naples and near Lake Okeechobee.
What is the furthest north a python has been located?
A 2023 United States Geological Survey, or USGS, report shows that Burmese pythons are expanding their range so quickly that it can be marked in miles per year in some areas.
On Nov. 9, 2012, a Burmese python was removed from the outskirts of the state, just outside the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. It’s unknown just how far north and west the snakes will travel, but some reports have suggested they’ll extend well beyond Florida’s state line.
How to report Burmese pythons
The Florida FWC advises that if you have a non-native species, do not release it. If you come across one, report it to the Invasive Species Hotline immediately at 888-Ive-Got1 (888-483-4681), providing an exact location and photos.
Sightings of other non-native species can be reported online at IveGot1.org or by using the free IveGot1 app.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida Python Challenge: Guns not allowed, here are the legal methods
