Updated
Updated · The Independent · Jul 10
Florida Opens 10-Day Python Hunt in Everglades With $10,000 Top Prize
Updated
Updated · The Independent · Jul 10

Florida Opens 10-Day Python Hunt in Everglades With $10,000 Top Prize

3 articles · Updated · The Independent · Jul 10

Summary

  • $10,000 is on offer as hundreds of hunters enter Florida’s annual 10-day Burmese python challenge in the Everglades, with the competition running through July 19.
  • The state uses the event to curb an invasive species that threatens native wildlife; more than 27,000 wild Burmese pythons have been removed since 2000.
  • $25 registration, online training and a quiz are required, and hunters face strict rules banning guns, drones, traps and any inhumane killing or harm to native snakes.
  • 294 pythons were removed in the 2025 challenge by nearly 1,000 participants from 30 states and Canada, while last year’s winner caught 60 snakes.

Insights

With a $10,000 prize, is the python challenge a conservation success or a dangerous sport risking native wildlife?
High-tech solutions like robotic rabbits and gene-editing are being tested. Is technology the real answer to the python invasion?