Scores of Burmese pythons have been captured in Florida.
The snakes, which are an invasive species, were rounded up in a 10-day competition involving 850 participants from 33 states and Canada.
Burmese pythons were first discovered in the Sunshine state in the late 1970s and pose a threat to Florida’s ecology by outcompeting native snake species, and eating endangered Key Largo wood rats.
The python have few predators because of their large size, with adult Burmese pythons in Florida averaging between six and nine feet.
During the recent contest, the biggest snake caught was nine feet and 11 inches long. The pythons are captured by hand, with participants wearing protective gloves and using tongs.
Ronald Kiger was the Ultimate Grand Prize winner, removing a total of 20 pythons, and receiving the grand prize of $10,000.
The annual Florida Python Challenge is hosted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
“Over 14,000 pythons have been successfully removed by FWC and South Florida Water Management District contractors since 2017. This collective effort continues to have a direct positive impact on the Everglades and our native wildlife through removal and awareness,” FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto said in a statement.
Burmese pythons are native to India, lower China, the Malay Peninsula and some islands of the East Indies.
In Florida, they are found primarily in and around the Everglades ecosystem and more than 22,000 wild Burmese pythons have been removed from the state of Florida since 2000.
The FWC says anyone may remove and humanely kill pythons and other nonnative reptiles at any time on private lands with landowner permission and on 32 of its managed lands throughout the area.
