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A restaurant in Everglades City, Florida, has launched a proposal that is as unusual as it is effective: anyone who catches a Burmese python during the Florida Python Challenge 2026 can bring it to the establishment and receive a free pizza in return, according to reported by NBC Miami.
The establishment is called Wildman's Pizza, Pasta and Python and is located in Everglades City, at the gates of the Everglades.
His owner, Dusty «Wildman» Crum, a python hunter with over 15 years of experience in those swamps, opened the establishment in October 2023 with a clear premise: to accept snakes as a form of currency.
"I am the first place in the world to accept pythons as currency. You can exchange a python for a pizza. We make python toppings, python pizza, iguana, whatever it is," declared Crum.
The Florida Python Challenge 2026, which kicked off last Thursday and runs until July 19, offers a grand prize of $10,000 for the individual who captures the most Burmese pythons, with a total prize pool exceeding $25,000 distributed among professional, novice, and military categories.
The event is organized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and the South Florida Water Management District, with Everglades National Park as the official partner and one of the eight competition venues.
Wildman's proposal has, however, an interesting legal twist: Burmese python meat cannot be commercially sold in Florida because its mercury levels can exceed up to 100 times the safe limit for human consumption.
Crum found the solution: he simply gives away the pizza with python topping instead of charging for it. "I can't sell that, I just have to give it away for free," he explained.
Beyond the pizza, the restaurant also operates as a museum of pythons and a shop selling items made from snake parts.
I use the fat to make snake oils for the skin, creams, soap. We use the bones to make jewelry; everything is utilized, the owner explained.
The Burmese pythons are one of the most destructive invasive species in Florida. Native to Southeast Asia, they arrived in the state primarily through the exotic pet trade, and their expansion accelerated after Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
In the Everglades, there are no natural predators, and they have decimated native mammal populations by up to 90%, consuming more than 85 different species. Since the year 2000, approximately 23,500 specimens have been removed throughout the state.
In the 2025 edition of the Python Challenge, a record of 294 pythons was eliminated in 10 days, with the participation of 934 people.
The winner was Taylor Stanberry, the first woman to win the main prize, after catching 60 snakes.
Those who wish to participate in this year's competition still have time: registration, which costs $25 and is non-refundable, remains open until the last day of the event and requires completing an online course and passing an exam with a minimum score of 85%.
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