Latest news with #FloridaPythonChallenge
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Florida gears up for annual 'Python Challenge' aimed at solving snake infestation: 'A great way to get people directly involved'
Preparations are underway for the latest annual event to combat a persistent invasive species in the Florida Everglades. Starting July 11, contestants will compete for cash prizes while helping control the population of Burmese pythons wreaking havoc on the ecosystem. The annual Florida Python Challenge is a 10-day event where contestants across eight designated hunting areas compete to capture the most pythons. As the Tampa Free Press reported, last year's event saw 195 invasive snakes removed, bringing the total of all events to date to 1,112. In addition to the grand cash prize ($10,000), there are prizes for runners-up and the longest python. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the 2024 winner bagged an impressive 20 snakes. Burmese pythons are an invasive species that first came to the Sunshine State as exotic pets that escaped or were released into the wild by irresponsible homeowners, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Invasive species harm an ecosystem by outcompeting native species for resources. The Burmese python's immense size, longevity, and fertility make it a serious problem for the Everglades. They have absolutely devastated local mammal populations. A 2012 study estimated a 99% reduction in bobcats, opossums, and raccoons in areas where pythons infest. The initiative is one of several novel community-based approaches to tackling invasive species and a great example of taking local action. While some invasive species make for tasty dishes, pythons shouldn't be consumed due to their dangerous mercury levels. Of course, there are less adventurous but no less valuable ways to combat invasive species and protect local biodiversity. Better yet, they involve very little effort and can even save money in the long run. Gardening with native plants and rewilding your yard are suitable for crucial pollinators and require less water and fewer harmful chemicals. The 2025 Florida Python Challenge is shaping up to be the biggest yet. "The Python Challenge is a great way to get people directly involved in the protection and stewardship of the Everglades," the fantastically named "Alligator Ron" Bergeron, a South Florida Water Management District Governing Board member, told the Tampa Bay Free Press. Should we be actively working to kill invasive species? Absolutely It depends on the species I don't know No — leave nature alone Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Economic Times
10-06-2025
- Science
- Economic Times
Conservancy of Southwest Florida sets record with over 6,300 pounds of Burmese Pythons removed in landmark season
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has removed a record 6,300 pounds of Burmese pythons this season, bringing their total to over 40,000 pounds since 2013. Using radio telemetry and "scout snakes," they target breeding females, preventing an estimated 20,000 eggs from hatching. This effort aims to protect native wildlife from the devastating impact of this invasive apex predator. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has announced a record-breaking season in its ongoing battle against the invasive Burmese python, capturing and removing 6,300 pounds of snakes from a 200-square-mile area stretching from Naples through the Western Everglades. This latest haul pushes the organization's total to over 20 tons—more than 40,000 pounds—of Burmese pythons removed since the program's inception in biologist and Science Project Manager Ian Bartoszek, who leads the Conservancy's python program, highlighted the significance of this milestone: 'Removing more than 40,000 pounds of snake, carried out through some of Florida's unrelenting wildlife habitats, is a heavy-lifting assignment. But, through years of dedicated research, we've developed science-based methods to track this apex predator more effectively and mitigate its damage to our native wildlife population .'The Conservancy's innovative approach used radio telemetry and tagged male 'scout snakes' to locate reproductive females, particularly during the November-to-April breeding season. This targeted strategy has prevented an estimated 20,000 python eggs from hatching since 2013, a critical step in curbing the species' explosive population pythons, which can reach lengths over 18 feet and weights exceeding 200 pounds, have devastated native wildlife in South Florida, preying on more than 85 species including deer, bobcats, rabbits, and birds. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) classifies the python as a prohibited species, noting its established range from just south of Lake Okeechobee to Key Largo and Collier Moher, President and CEO of the Conservancy, emphasized the broader impact: 'The python team's work of reducing the local population of the invasive snake allows our native wildlife safer conditions to recover.' The Conservancy also collaborates with organizations like the USGS, University of Florida , and South Florida Water Management District, and relies on private philanthropy and grants for the annual Florida Python Challenge approaching (July 11–20), the state continues to encourage public participation in python removal efforts, offering year-round opportunities to help protect Florida's unique ecosystem.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Conservancy of Southwest Florida sets record with over 6,300 pounds of Burmese Pythons removed in landmark season
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has announced a record-breaking season in its ongoing battle against the invasive Burmese python, capturing and removing 6,300 pounds of snakes from a 200-square-mile area stretching from Naples through the Western Everglades. This latest haul pushes the organization's total to over 20 tons—more than 40,000 pounds—of Burmese pythons removed since the program's inception in 2013. Wildlife biologist and Science Project Manager Ian Bartoszek, who leads the Conservancy's python program, highlighted the significance of this milestone: 'Removing more than 40,000 pounds of snake, carried out through some of Florida's unrelenting wildlife habitats, is a heavy-lifting assignment. But, through years of dedicated research, we've developed science-based methods to track this apex predator more effectively and mitigate its damage to our native wildlife population .' The Conservancy's innovative approach used radio telemetry and tagged male 'scout snakes' to locate reproductive females, particularly during the November-to-April breeding season. This targeted strategy has prevented an estimated 20,000 python eggs from hatching since 2013, a critical step in curbing the species' explosive population growth. Live Events Burmese pythons, which can reach lengths over 18 feet and weights exceeding 200 pounds, have devastated native wildlife in South Florida, preying on more than 85 species including deer, bobcats, rabbits, and birds. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) classifies the python as a prohibited species, noting its established range from just south of Lake Okeechobee to Key Largo and Collier County. Rob Moher, President and CEO of the Conservancy, emphasized the broader impact: 'The python team's work of reducing the local population of the invasive snake allows our native wildlife safer conditions to recover.' The Conservancy also collaborates with organizations like the USGS, University of Florida , and South Florida Water Management District, and relies on private philanthropy and grants for funding. With the annual Florida Python Challenge approaching (July 11–20), the state continues to encourage public participation in python removal efforts, offering year-round opportunities to help protect Florida's unique ecosystem.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Yahoo
3 men catch monster Burmese python in Florida Everglades. Was it biggest ever captured?
Three hunters recently captured a massive Burmese python in the Florida Everglades. Zach Hoffman, Jan Gianello and Justice Sargood caught the invasive snake near Everglades City just after midnight on May 31. The constrictor was so large that Hoffman had to get a bigger tape measure. "At first we measured with a 15-foot tape measure that we had lying around, and it wasn't long enough," Hoffman said. "Then I took a measurement with a 25-foot tape. When I read the number out loud we couldn't believe it." First identified in Everglades National Park in 2000, the Burmese python may be the most destructive foreign animal in the park's history. The massive constrictors can grow to more than 18 feet and weigh over 200 pounds. Did the trio's catch break the record for the longest python ever captured? Here's what to know about the behemoth catch and the biggest pythons ever caught in Florida: Registration for the 2025 Florida Python Challenge — a 10-day event to remove invasive Burmese pythons — is open. This year's hunt runs from July 11 to July 20, Florida Fish and Wildlife announced May 15. Participants can win money prizes in several categories, including a $10,000 Ultimate Grand Prize. FWC works with partners and the public to hunt and kill the snakes, including the annual Florida Python Challenge. The 2025 Florida Python Challenge starts at 12:01 a.m. July 11 and ends at 5 p.m. July 20, Florida Fish and Wildlife announced May 15. There are $25,000 in cash prizes up for grabs for this year's hunt. The top prize of $10,000 goes to the person who catches the most pythons. Those with the most catches in the Novice, Professional and Military categories win $2,500, while runners-up in each group receive $1,500, and $1,000 is awarded for the longest pythons caught. There is no established firearm season during the time of the event. The use of firearms during the competition is prohibited. Burmese pythons captured in Florida must be humanely killed. While they are not protected in Florida, anti-cruelty law still applies. Step 1: The method should result in the animal losing consciousness immediately. These tools should result in the immediate loss of consciousness: Captive bolt Firearms (not allowed in the Florida Python Challenge and otherwise subject to property-specific and local rules) or pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) air guns Step 2: The animal's brain should be destroyed by 'pithing' which prevents it from regaining consciousness. The invasive snakes are distributed across more than a thousand square miles in the Everglades and southern Florida. Burmese pythons have been found across the state and are slithering north. They may even reach Georgia. At 12:30 a.m. on May 31, Zach Hoffman, Jan Gianello and Justice Sargood were on their way home from an uneventful night of python hunting when they decided to check one last spot and spotted a huge Burmese python 'laying halfway on the road, half in the ditch." Sargood grabbed the python's head and wrestled with it, while Hoffman and Gianello controlled the rest of the snake's body to keep it from coiling too tightly. ➤ 'We couldn't believe it': Giant python wrangled, caught by 3 hunters in Everglades Once they had control over the large python, it was humanely euthanized. They attempted to measure the snake with a 15-foot tape measure, but it came up short. A 25-foot tape measure did the trick, and the hunters determined the massive python to be 16 feet, 8 inches long. The hefty snake weighed 105 pounds. A group of python hunters caught the longest Burmese python ever measured on July 10, 2023, in the Big Cypress National Preserve in eastern Collier County. The monster snake was 19 feet long. The previous record was held by python hunters Ryan Ausburn and Kevin Pavlidis who captured a python measuring a whopping 18-feet 9-inches in 2020. In 2013, Jason Leon captured a then-record 18-foot python in southeastern Miami-Dade County. The massive snake weighed 128 pounds. Licensed python hunter Mike Kimmel, alone on a spoil island in the Florida Everglades, caught a 17-foot python in 2020. Conservancy of Southwest Florida biologists caught the heaviest Burmese python ever recorded in the Florida Everglades in 2022. The colossal female python weighed an eye-popping 215 pounds and was nearly 18 feet long. A 198-pound Burmese python was captured in November 2023 in the Big Cypress Preserve, making it the second-heaviest ever caught in the Sunshine State. The massive snake was 17 feet, 2 inches long. Support local journalism by subscribing to a Florida news organization. This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Burmese python caught in Everglades. Is massive snake largest ever?
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'We couldn't believe it': Giant python wrangled, caught by 3 hunters in Everglades
The famous quote from the movie Jaws is "You're gonna need a bigger boat." This line is spoken by Chief Martin Brody (played by Roy Scheider) to Quint (played by Robert Shaw) during the film. The line is used to emphasize the inadequacy of their current boat in the face of the shark. For Zach Hoffman, Jan Gianello and Justice Sargood it wasn't a bigger boat they needed when they caught a massive Burmese python on May 31. They needed a bigger tape measure. "Working in construction, I have a pretty good eye for measurements, so when numbers started to get thrown around about the length, I knew they were short of what we had caught," Hoffman said of the 105-pound female invasive snake. "At first we measured with a 15-foot tape measure that we had lying around, and it wasn't long enough. Then I took a measurement with a 25-foot tape. When I read the number out loud we couldn't believe it." They measured the python at 16 feet, 8 inches. It weighed 105 pounds with no contents in its stomach or eggs. "Two hundred inches on the button," Hoffman said. The snake was caught near Everglades City, Hoffman said. They caught it at 12:30 a.m. on their way home after an uneventful night of hunting Florida's most wanted invasive species. "We decided to check one last spot on our drive home." Hoffman said. "A few miles in, Justice said (from the front seat of the truck) 'IIs that a shadow?''. Hoffman was in the back seat. "I looked up and said 'That's no shadow'. Before the truck could even come to a complete stop we had jumped out and ran over to this snake which was laying halfway on the road, half in the ditch," Hoffman said. Without hesitation Hoffman said Justice grabbed the python by the head and started to wrestle with the snake. "Jan and myself controlled the rest of the body so it didn't coil up too tight," Hoffman said. "As soon as we had control over the snake, it was ethically dispatched. Then the realization of what we just caught started to set in." Not quite a record, but a sizeable catch to say the least. More: With Florida Python Challenge set for summer, a look at largest Burmese pythons ever caught "We were ecstatic," said Hoffman, who is 25 and is originally from Boston. "We made phone calls to friends that we knew were out hunting, sent texts to family, it was a big deal for us." The photo has made the rounds on social media, including Hoffman's Instagram page @SWFL_REAPER. The experience of hunting pythons paid off with this catch, Hoffman said. "This is none of our first rodeos. I've been hunting for two years now. I introduced Justice and Jan to the sport a year ago, where we ended up catching our previous biggest (10 feet, 2 inches). This snake blows all of our best snakes out of the water," Hoffman said. Hoffman estimated that as a group, he, Gianello and Sargoodwe've have caughtmore than 100 pythons. "Justice and Jan have been hitting it hard, putting 25 hours a week into python hunting, whereas I can only go a night or two a month with them," Hoffman said. "They have earned this snake, and hopefully a spot on FWC's Python hunting program as well." After the kill the snake was skinned with portions of its meat donated and consumed among friends and family. Hoffman said the skin will be tanned and put on display inside the house. It was an unforgettable experience for the commercial plumber from Boston, Massachusetts, who has lived in SWFL for four years. "We need more people out there eliminating these snakes," Hoffman said. "We will never be able to stop them, but we can put a big dent on the negative impacts they have on our natural wildlife. However, as big of an ecological threat these snakes may impose on our natural resources, the biggest threat is over development." A group of python hunters caught the longest Burmese python ever measured on July 10, 2023, in the Big Cypress National Preserve in eastern Collier County. The monster snake was 19 feet long. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Burmese python, 16 feet long, caught by trio in in Florida Everglades
