Florida hunters should never cut off the head of a python
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Florida is sending people in the Everglades to hunt for giant snakes — and it could net one person $10,000 - The invasive species is one of the largest snakes in the world
The South Florida Water Management District's Python Elimination Program has been a big success since it started in 2025.
The News-Press and Naples Daily News asked Kodiak Hengstebeck of the FWC 10 questions about this year's Python Challenge.
"We're not putting these animals out there and in harm's way. Harm's way is there. We're just documenting what is happening."
Burmese pythons spread beyond the Everglades as Florida's Python Challenge begins, offering $25,000 in prizes.
What began as a family outing to help remove invasive snakes from Florida's Everglades quickly turned into a terrifying fight for survival. Carl Jackson believed he had spotted a Burmese python measuring about 12 feet as it crossed a dirt road in Big Cypress National Preserve.
