'War' On Invasive Burmese Pythons Declared By Gov. DeSantis

MIAMI, FL — Florida is on a mission to "evict" invasive Burmese pythons from the wild. To help promote the removal of the big snakes, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the 2022 Florida Python Challenge at a news conference Thursday in Miami.

According to the National Park Service, over the last decade, snakes from around the world have been turning up in Everglades National Park. However, the Burmese python is the best-known and most problematic of these snakes.

The giant snakes, which are not native to Florida, harm native species, wildlife experts say. They are found primarily in and around the Everglades ecosytem in south Florida, where they prey on birds, mammals and other reptiles.

“The Everglades is one of the world’s most prized natural resources, and we have invested record funding for Everglades restoration projects, including record funding for removal of invasive Burmese pythons which wreak havoc on the ecosystem,” DeSantis said. “Because of this focus, we have removed record numbers of invasive Burmese pythons, which wreak havoc on the ecosystem."

In Florida, more than 16,000 Burmese pythons have been removed since 2000.

During Thursday's news conference, DeSantis announced that registration for the 2022 Florida Python Challenge is now open and the annual 10-day event will be held Aug. 5-14.

The public is now able to take the required online training and register to compete to win thousands of dollars in prizes while removing invasive Burmese pythons from the wild. The competition is open to both professional and novice participants.

"The Florida Python Challenge provides an opportunity for people to actively participate in Everglades conservation by removing the Burmese python, an invasive species that is actively damaging our native wildlife populations,” said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Executive Director Eric Sutton.

Anyone interested in taking part in the challenge can visit FLPythonChallenge.org to register for the competition, take the online training, register for optional in-person trainings, learn more about Burmese pythons and the unique Everglades ecosystem and find resources for planning your trip to South Florida to participate in the Florida Python Challenge.

Participants in the 2021 Florida Python Challenge removed 223 invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades, more than double the number that was removed in 2020. Over 600 people from 25 states registered to take part in the 10-day competition in 2021.

In Florida, pythons can be humanely killed on private lands at any time with landowner permission — no permit or hunting license is required, according to the FWC.