“Vacation Turned Nightmare: Florida Man Discovers Unwelcome 16-Foot Predator Lurking in His Home!”
Initiatives ramp up
As WION reported, about 5,000 pythons were eliminated by August 2020, an indication of how dramatically culling efforts have ramped up.
In Bergeron’s words, “Each invasive python eliminated represents hundreds of native Florida wildlife saved.”
The public joins in
A relatively new part of the fight to curb Burmese python populations in the Everglades is the annual “Python Challenge.”
Beginning in 2020, this event essentially deputizes the public in conservation efforts by having them compete to see who can capture the most and the largest pythons.
An instant hit
According to The Hill, about 600 people from 25 states participated in 2021 and managed to catch 223 pythons in the process.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel also reported that the first prize winner that year caught 41 of them single-handed.
Big prizes
Whoever catches the most pythons wins the grand prize, while the person who catches the longest one wins $1,500.
In 2021, the snake fitting that description was over 15 feet long, while the longest snake caught the following year was a little over 11 feet long.
The grand prize gets grander
The Hill reported that the winner in the 2021 event received $2,500 for his haul, but it seems the pot has been sweetened since then.
