Annual Florida Python Challenge begins Friday
By Sofia Zarran
July 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM EDT
The annual python challenge hosted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission starts Friday.
The Burmese python is an invasive species in Florida, first discovered in Everglades National Park in 1979. It has no natural predator here, so it has proliferated and impacted native species for decades. The FWC's python hunt began in 2013 and has been happening every year since 2020.
Zac Chejanovski, the Interagency Python Management Coordinator for FWC'S non-native program, says the point of the challenge is not so much to capture pythons in one go, but to educate people for the future.
"The most difficult thing about catching pythons is not the catching itself, but it's the actual spotting of the python," Chejanovski said.
He said that someone could cross paths with a hundred pythons, and only identify one of them. That is why training the public on identifying the invasive species is an important step in stopping the snake from doing more harm to the Everglades unique ecosystem.
"Every Python removed is a win for Florida's native species and for the Everglades as a whole,” he added.
There will be training events during the first three days to teach people how to identify and trap a python. For the more competitive participant, there are multiple prizes available and a grand prize of $10,000 for the hunter who catches the most pythons. The challenge ends on July 20.
READ MORE: It takes a python to find a python: How researchers bagged the heaviest snake in Florida history
This is a News In Brief report. Visit WLRN News for in-depth reporting from South Florida and Florida news.
The Burmese python is an invasive species in Florida, first discovered in Everglades National Park in 1979. It has no natural predator here, so it has proliferated and impacted native species for decades. The FWC's python hunt began in 2013 and has been happening every year since 2020.
Zac Chejanovski, the Interagency Python Management Coordinator for FWC'S non-native program, says the point of the challenge is not so much to capture pythons in one go, but to educate people for the future.
"The most difficult thing about catching pythons is not the catching itself, but it's the actual spotting of the python," Chejanovski said.
He said that someone could cross paths with a hundred pythons, and only identify one of them. That is why training the public on identifying the invasive species is an important step in stopping the snake from doing more harm to the Everglades unique ecosystem.
"Every Python removed is a win for Florida's native species and for the Everglades as a whole,” he added.
There will be training events during the first three days to teach people how to identify and trap a python. For the more competitive participant, there are multiple prizes available and a grand prize of $10,000 for the hunter who catches the most pythons. The challenge ends on July 20.
READ MORE: It takes a python to find a python: How researchers bagged the heaviest snake in Florida history
This is a News In Brief report. Visit WLRN News for in-depth reporting from South Florida and Florida news.