The Florida Wildlife Commission along with the South Florida Water Management District and the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida have announced a new $10,000 Ultimate Grand Prize for the 2021 Florida Python Challenge.
Virtual Business Services is sponsoring the award which will be presented to the participant who removes the most pythons as part of the competition beginning July 9 and running through July 18.
The goal of the Florida Python Challenge is to increase awareness about invasive species and the threats they pose to Florida’s ecology. The annual competition encourages people to get directly involved in Everglades conservation through invasive species removal.
“This is a monumental contribution to the cause of removing Burmese pythons from the Everglades ecosystem. We are grateful to Virtual Business Services for their generous donation and hope this sparks more interest in this important effort. We will continue to work with our partners to protect our natural resources from the threat of invasive species,” said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto.
Registration is now open and people can sign up to participate until the last day of the event. There is a $25 registration fee and participants must complete free online training.
To register for the competition, take the online training, learn more about Burmese pythons and the unique Everglades ecosystem, as well as find resources for planning a trip to south Florida to participate, click here.
Participants who do not win the Ultimate Grand Prize can still win thousands of dollars for the most pythons in the Professional or Novice categories. There are also awards for the longest snakes in both categories.
Active-duty military personnel and veterans who register for the competition will be eligible for additional prizes.
Burmese pythons are not native to Florida and negatively impact native species. They are found primarily in and around the Everglades ecosystem in south Florida where they prey on birds, mammals and other reptiles.
A female Burmese python can lay 50 to 100 eggs at a time. Since 2000, more than 13,000 Burmese pythons have been removed from the state of Florida.