This year’s Florida Python Challenge set a new record, with participants removing 294 invasive Burmese pythons from the state’s ecosystem, wildlife officials announced Wednesday.
The 10-day competition, which ran from July 11-20, saw 934 participants from 30 states and Canada hunt across eight official locations, including Everglades National Park. The final tally far surpassed last year’s total of 195 pythons.
Taylor Stanberry earned the $10,000 ultimate grand prize for capturing an impressive 60 pythons. Stanberry, from Naples, promotes herself as a “venomous keeper” and “venomous relocator.” An additional $15,000 in prize money was distributed among winners in the novice, professional, and military categories.
In the professional category, Donna Kalil captured 56 pythons, a significant increase from her 19 last year. Krista Hoekstra led the novice category with 14 snakes, and John Southworth removed five to top the military division.
Awards were also given for the longest pythons. Novice hunter Michael Marousky caught the largest specimen, measuring 15 feet, 11 inches. The longest snake in the military category was an 11-foot, 2-inch python caught by Jonathan Miller, while Kennith Chamberland’s 9-foot, 8-inch catch won in the professional division.
The annual challenge is a key initiative by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to manage Burmese pythons, a nonvenomous constrictor considered one of the state’s most destructive invasive species. The FWC encourages the humane killing of these snakes to protect native wildlife. According to the commission, paid incentive programs launched in 2017 have drastically increased removal numbers.
“The record number of invasive pythons removed from the Everglades during this year’s competition is a big win for native wildlife,” FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto said in a statement. He noted that since 2017, combined efforts from the Python Challenge and state-contracted hunters have resulted in the removal of over 17,400 pythons. “Collective efforts are the key to continue addressing the threats Burmese pythons pose to Florida’s native wildlife and ecosystems.”
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