After 10 days of python hunting in South Florida, Taylor Stanberry, a 29-year-old contract hunter for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, finished with a milestone result against one of the Everglades' most damaging invasive species.
Her total came to 60 Burmese pythons, enough to earn the annual Florida Python Challenge's grand prize and make her the first woman to win it.
What happened?
The 2025 Florida Python Challenge drew more than 900 participants for a 10-day effort to cut down on invasive snakes in South Florida, according to USA Today. Organizers announced that Stanberry had claimed the $10,000 top prize.
Stanberry said she had been hunting pythons for a decade, but this was her first time entering the challenge. Of the snakes she removed, 33 were female, and 27 were male, and she said the biggest measured about 9.5 to 10 feet long.
Competitors removed 294 pythons altogether, the most since the contest started in 2013.
Donna Kalil, who hunts on contract for the South Florida Water Management District, caught 56 snakes to win the professional category.
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"It's all because of the timing," Kalil said. "There were a lot of little baby snakes just getting out of the nest. Some had already had a meal. They come out and are ready to eat."
Why does it matter?
Burmese pythons are an invasive species in Florida, and for years they have damaged the Everglades ecosystem by preying on birds, mammals, and reptiles native to the region. That kind of disruption can ripple through food webs and further weaken habitats already under stress.
A healthier Everglades supports wildlife, outdoor recreation, and the natural systems that South Florida communities depend on.
USA Today cited a 2012 Everglades National Park study that linked pythons to 85% to 100% declines in medium-sized furry animals, including raccoons and rabbits.
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What's being done?
The annual challenge is one of Florida's most visible python-control efforts, bringing together amateur and professional hunters in zones stretching from western Palm Beach County to the Tamiami Trail in Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area. Other management areas in the Python Challenge included Holey Land, Rotenberger, and Southern Glades.
This was the first year Everglades National Park allowed hunting during the challenge.
Participants are required to capture the snakes, humanely euthanize them, and avoid harming native wildlife. The contest includes novice, professional, and military divisions, with prizes awarded for the most snakes caught and the longest python.
Since 2019, hunters working with the South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have removed more than 15,800 pythons from South Florida.
"Every invasive python removed is a win," said Sarah Funk, who coordinates the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's nonnative fish and wildlife program.
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