Registration opens for 2021 Florida Python Challenge

MIAMI, Fla. – Registration for the 2021 Florida Python Challenge has opened, Governor Ron DeSantis announced.

This year’s Florida Python Challenge will be held July 9-18. Registration is now open and the public can take the online training and then compete to remove invasive Burmese pythons, the governor said.

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, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Since 2019, more than 5,250 pythons have been removed from the state. Overall more than 13,000 Burmese pythons have been removed since 2000.

Click here to register for the competition, take the online training, learn more about Burmese pythons, and find resources for planning a trip to South Florida to participate.

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