The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has come up with a clever way to solve the snake problem in seven of its commission-managed lands in Southern Florida.
The commission holds an annual Florida Python Challenge that over 700 competitors, some of whom travel from other parts of the U.S. and as far as Canada, take part in, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Ronald Kiger was this year’s big winner, taking home $10,000 for catching 20 Burmese pythons during the challenge.
The Burmese python is a large, nonvenomous constrictor snake introduced to Florida via the pet trade and a threat to the ecosystem.
“Over 14,000 pythons have been successfully removed by FWC and South Florida Water Management District contractors since 2017,” FWC chairman Rodney Barreto tells the outlet. “This collective effort continues to have a direct positive impact on the Everglades and our native wildlife through removal and awareness.”