Florida's Python Hunt Challenge is underway, bringing cash rewards as officials work to curb the spread of South Florida's most destructive invasive species.
July 10 marked the start of the 10-day challenge, which offers $25,000 worth of cash prizes to hunters removing invasive Burmese pythons from approved sites across South Florida, according to Naples Daily News.
What's happening?
Participants from around the U.S., along with some from other countries, are taking part in the 10-day competition at designated South Florida locations.
The event is run through a partnership between the South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Of the $25,000 prize pool, $10,000 is reserved for the contestant who captures the highest number of snakes, with the rest allocated across additional categories.
Naples Daily News has reported that, as of July 7, over 600 people had registered for the Challenge.
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The same day the challenge began, the South Florida Water Management District also released the latest results from its latest monthly python removal program. Python hunter Thomas Lee led the June removal results with 41 pythons, earning $600, while hunter Bayo Hernandez received $400 for the month's longest snake, a 16-foot, half-inch Burmese python.
Why does it matter?
Burmese pythons have become one of the Everglades' most damaging invasive predators, contributing to declines in small native mammals such as raccoons and opossums, and even bobcats and foxes.
Researchers have found the species is capable of taking down prey larger than once thought. As Naples Daily News reported, one recent study recorded a Burmese python eating a 77-pound white-tailed deer, an animal weighing nearly 70% as much as the snake itself.
Their range, unfortunately, now covers more than 1,000 square miles in the region.
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The species became established because of human activity. BBC Future has reported that human-wildlife conflicts are often intensified when people alter habitats or move animals beyond their native ranges.
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