He Florida Python Challenge 2023 o The 2023 Florida Python Challenge begins this Friday and runs through August 13, as part of the state’s campaign to eliminate these large invasive snakes and threats to native wildlife in the Everglades.
Those who register for the event will be looking to catch as many and even the largest Burmese pythons. This time the prizes have grown and there is a $30,000 pot that is divided into several prize categories. They range from $1,000 for the person who catches the longest snake to $10,000 for the person who catches the most pythons.
The second prize for the one who captures the most snakes is $7,500, while there are other individual prizes for the hunters.
Invasive snakes have established themselves in South Florida, largely as a result of the business of escaped or released exotic pets, according to specialists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC, for its acronym in English).
It is estimated that there could be tens of thousands of Burmese pythons living in and around the Everglades. According to FWC, since 2000 some 18,000 snakes have been removed.
WHY THEY SHOULD BE DELETED
The goal is to reduce the impact of this species, primarily in the Everglades, the vast wetland in southern Florida that is home to numerous species of animals and plants.
According to FWC, Burmese pythons have a significant impact on the Florida ecosystem and threaten native mammal populations.
“They feed on native species and may reduce their populations locally. Research is underway to determine the impacts pythons have on native mammalian species. While pythons will eat common native species and non-native species such as Norway rats, they may also consume native threatened or endangered species,” explains the FWC.
Most of the python population is concentrated in Everglades National Park in Miami-Dade County, but according to FWC, Burmese pythons are currently established from south of Lake Okeechobee to Key Largo and from west of the county. from Broward to Collier County. They have been found in southwestern Florida in Naples and near Lake Okeechobee.
In July, a 22-year-old man in South Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve captured a 19-foot-long, 125-pound female Burmese python, the largest ever caught in Florida, authorities said. .
