A 10-day conservation competition in Florida ended with one participant removing an extraordinary 96 Burmese pythons from the Everglades.
Tom Rahill, a veteran python hunter, won the 2026 Florida Python Challenge after accounting for more than a third of the 280 invasive snakes removed by all competitors during the event.As reported by The Guardian, the challenge, organised by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the South Florida Water Management District, brought together 907 participants from 30 US states, Canada and Vietnam.
Rahill received the competition's $10,000 ultimate grand prize for removing the most pythons.Why Florida is spending so much effort removing Burmese pythonsBurmese pythons are native to South and Southeast Asia but have established a breeding population in southern Florida.
Their presence has become a major conservation concern because they are large predators capable of consuming a wide range of native animals.The Everglades is particularly vulnerable because the snakes can prey on mammals, birds and reptiles that evolved without such a predator.
Their expansion has been associated with severe declines in several native mammal populations.Burmese pythons are not native to Florida and negatively affect native wildlife.
