Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and South Florida Water Management District Annual “Python Challenge” This now-viral event is designed to help stop the rapid spread of the non-native Burmese python, and it has risen to worldwide fame over the past several years.
Pythons have been widespread throughout South Florida for decades, especially in the Everglades region. Nearly 27,000 pythons have been removed from Florida since 2020 through various programs, according to state officials. But a lot more needs to be eliminated.
Invasive pythons have a widespread negative impact on local wildlife, so the state launched the Python Challenge in 2013, offering cash rewards to poachers. Over the years “challenge” hunters have released hundreds of snakes, which are caught alive by hand and later euthanized.
Last year, 934 people participated in the 10-day event and 294 pythons were released. Challenge hunters came from 30 different states as well as Canada, competing for outdoor excitement and prize money.
This year $25,000 is offered to python hunters in various event categories. Last year’s grand prize winner was Taylor Stansberry, who earned $10,000 for catching the most pythons during the 10-day challenge event. He had caught 60 pythons last year and created a record in this event.
“My husband and I go out every night looking for pythons,” Stansberry says. outdoor Life. “It’s hatching season, and the baby snakes are just starting to appear.”
Stansberry says the timing of the challenge is ideal for capturing a lot of young snakes, as the goal of the event is to remove large numbers of pythons.
“Last year when I won, I had the privilege of seeing some nests of baby pythons,” says the 30-year-old. wildlife specialist From Naples, Florida. “In one snake’s nest I caught 31 baby pythons and the other night I caught 14 baby pythons in a different nest.”
Stansberry says so far this year he has found only one small newborn python during his night walks near Naples and in the Everglades.
“There has been a lot of rain locally, which has affected our time spent looking for snakes,” she says. “The mosquitoes are terrible. But the pythons will be hatching soon, so the timing of the challenge is excellent.”
Stansberry says there’s plenty of competition from other Python Challenge participants, with dozens of people roaming the streets in and around Naples and the Everglades.
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“We use john boats to go deep into the Everglades,” says Stansberry, who has been a state-licensed python removal contractor for 11 years. “The deeper we go into the Everglades, the fewer python hunters there are and the more snakes we find.”
With hundreds of python hunters chasing the $25,000 prize money, Stansberry is feeling a little pressure after winning the top prize last year. She was also the first woman to take home the top award.
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“I’ll try my best to catch as many snakes as possible, hopefully find some nests with lots of babies, but if I don’t win, I’ll just say I didn’t participate in the challenge,” she says with a laugh.
