Florida’s First Lady Casey DeSantis signals beginning of open season on Burmese Pythons
On August 5, Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis joined hundreds of competitors to kick off the 2022 Florida Python Challenge. Over 800 participants and counting, from 32 states and Canada, are beginning their search to find and remove invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades ecosystem. Participants are eligible to win thousands of dollars in prizes while removing Burmese pythons from the wild as part of the competition that kicked off yesterday at 8:00 a.m. and runs through 5:00 p.m. on August 14.
The First Lady also announced the milestone of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)’s python removal contractors removing more than 10,000 Burmese pythons from the wild in Florida.
“I am excited to kick off the 2022 Florida Python Challenge by going out into the Everglades to join those coming from near and far, both novices and professionals, to hunt pythons – today marks another year of innovative conservation strategies to protect Florida’s beautiful natural resources for generations to come,” said the First Lady.
“This is significant because every python removed is one less invasive species preying on our native birds, mammals and reptiles. Our family will continue to support conservation efforts in the Everglades, and today I’m doing that by being one of the first out to hunt this invasive species.”
The annual competition hopes to raise awareness about invasive species while encouraging people to get directly involved in Everglades conservation through invasive species removal.
Participants in both the professional and novice categories can win cash prizes of up to $2,500 for removing the most pythons. There will be additional awards for the longest pythons removed in both categories. Those interested in competing can still register through the final day of the competition, August 14, at FLPythonChallenge.org. There is a $25 registration fee and participants must complete a free online training to compete.
Visit FLPythonChallenge.org to register for the competition, take the online training, learn more about Burmese pythons and the unique Everglades ecosystem and find resources for planning your trip to south Florida to participate in the Florida Python Challenge.
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 may lay 50 to 100 eggs at a time. More than 17,000 Burmese pythons have been removed from Florida since 2000. For more information on Burmese pythons, visit MyFWC.com/Python.
Also see:
For more on Casey DeSantis kicking off the 2022 Florida Python Challenge Competition, see the video accompanying this article.
(Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) / (Cover photo: Casey DeSantis, Facebook)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
