Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images News / Getty Images
Hunters are scouring the Everglades for an invasive species as the 2025 Florida Python Challenge gets underway.
It is possible to humanely hunt and kill the snakes year-round in South Florida, but from Friday through next weekend, hunters who catch the most pythons can win a prize.
Those who register for the Florida Python Challenge can quality to win up to $25,000 in prize money.
The invasive Burmese python does not belong in the delicate Everglades ecosystem and poses a threat to all native wildlife.
Florida Fish and Wildlife's Zac Chejenovski says it's not too late to take an online course and register.
So far, more than 700 people have signed up and they are bringing in enough snakes so far to match last year's haul of more than 200 pythons removed from the Everglades.
Since the first Florida Python Challenge in 2013, more than 1,100 of the non-native constrictors have been removed.
The python hunt began at 12:01 a.m. on July 11,2025 and ends at 5 p.m. on July 20, 2025.