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Florida is accepting applications for its annual “Python Challenge” from hardy hunters hoping to haul big snakes out of the Everglades.
“Removing invasive pythons from across the Greater Everglades Ecosystem is absolutely critical,” said “Alligator” Ron Bergeron, a member of the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board.
The competition runs Aug. 4-13 and targets thousands of Burmese pythons infesting the nation’s largest subtropical wilderness.
Hunters from across the globe last year removed 231 pythons during the competition, the participation in which grew by 400 people to nearly 1,000 year-over-year.
Competitors this year could win more than $30,000 in prizes.
– Jesse Scheckner, Florida Politics