The 2024 Python Challenge in Florida, a competition aimed at eliminating Burmese pythons from the Everglades, started this weekend with a reward of over $25,000 in cash prizes.
Although the elimination competition began at 12:01 a.m. on August 9, the event will take place over ten days and is scheduled to end at 5 p.m. on August 18, 2024.
Professional and amateur hunters compete for prizes that include the longest python captured and the most pythons captured and removed, mentions a report by the television network Telemundo 51.
Participants can compete in three different categories: novice, military, and professional. The monetary prizes awarded, depending on the number of snakes eliminated, range from one thousand to two thousand five hundred dollars, while the person who delivers the most pythons will take home the bag of ten thousand dollars.
During the challenge, Burmese pythons must be removed from the participating areas to be considered valid entries in the competition.
About Burmese pythons
On the official page of the competition, they explain that the goal is to raise public awareness about invasive species in Florida. Burmese pythons are not native to the state; they arrived in the southeast due to the exotic pet trade. However, over time they settled in the area and ended up causing an imbalance in the ecosystem.
The local government specifies that the Burmese python is a large, non-venomous constrictor snake. The place where they have established the most is in the Everglades, where they feed on native species and pose a significant threat to the area's ecosystems.
Then, the state organizes this ten-day event that encourages participants to eliminate Burmese pythons from seven territories managed by the Commission in South Florida. These locations are where the species has spread the most, and efforts are aimed at controlling its proliferation.
- Wildlife and Environmental Area of Southern Glades.
- Public hunting area for small game Frog Pond.
- Public small game hunting area of Rocky Glades.
- Everglades wildlife management area.
- Wildlife management area of Holey Land.
- Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area.
- Big Cypress wildlife management area.
Last year, about 200 pythons were removed from Everglades National Park, and around 1,050 people participated in the challenge, Local 10 News remembers.
The winner of the challenge was Paul Hobbs, originally from Tennessee, who eliminated 20 Burmese pythons and was able to take home the Ultimate grand prize of 10 thousand dollars awarded by the Bergeron Everglades Foundation.
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