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9 clusters · 19 sources · 53 days · First seen · Last updated

Florida python control persists, mercury warning

Overview

The 2026 Florida Python Challenge ran from July 10–19, drawing 907 hunters from 30 U.S. states, Canada, and Vietnam. Participants removed 280 invasive Burmese pythons, raising the season total to roughly 1,400 and bringing the cumulative statewide removal count past 19,000 since the program began in 2017.

Tom Rahill, founder of the Broward County-based organization SwampApes, captured the grand-prize haul of 96 snakes. Rahill utilized a strategy of nighttime expeditions, specifically targeting a nest where hatchlings were emerging from eggs. Rahm Levinson recorded the longest specimen at 16 ft 5 in. Both Rahill and Levinson are members of SwampApes, an initiative that uses python hunting as “nature therapy” for military veterans and first responders.

FWC officials highlighted the effort as a “major victory” for protecting Everglades wildlife. State health officials reiterated that, although python meat is technically edible, it often contains elevated mercury levels that pose risks to children, pregnant people, and frequent consumers. The warning was emphasized alongside ongoing outreach, such as Wildman’s Pizza’s specialty-python-skin pizza and the documentary “The Python Hunt.”

Detection methods continue to expand, with GPS-collared possums, drones, thermal imaging, scout snakes, and radio-tracked males aiding hunters. Community engagement and prize incentives remain central to the multi-year strategy aimed at curbing the invasive python population and safeguarding native ecosystems.

Entities

Everglades National Park · Tom Rahill · Everglades · Burmese pythons · Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission

Timeline

  1. 2 days ago

    [CULTURE] 2 sources
    Tom Rahill wins Florida Python Challenge with 96 captures

    Tom Rahill won the 2026 Florida Python Challenge, capturing 96 pythons, while Rahm Levinson caught a record 16-foot specimen in the Everglades.

  2. 4 days ago

    [INTERNATIONAL] 2 sources
    Florida Python Challenge eliminates 280 invasive Burmese pythons

    The 2026 Florida Python Challenge removed 280 invasive Burmese pythons, with Tom Rahill catching 96, the most in the 10‑day event across Everglades National Park.

  3. 7 days ago

    [CULTURE] 6 sources
    Tom Rahill captures 96 Burmese pythons to win Florida Python Challenge

    Tom Rahill captured 96 Burmese pythons in the Everglades, winning the 2026 Florida Python Challenge’s $10,000 prize; the ten‑day event saw 907 participants remove 280 snakes, part of a broader effort that has c

  4. 15 days ago

    [HEALTH] 2 sources
    Florida Warns Against Eating Mercury-Contaminated Invasive Burmese Pythons

    Florida says invasive Burmese pythons are edible but unsafe due to high mercury, while removal efforts and a new documentary spotlight the ongoing Python Challenge.

  5. 18 days ago

    [CULTURE] 2 sources
    Florida restaurant trades dead pythons for pizza in Everglades City

    Wildman's Pizza in Everglades City offered a specialty pizza for dead Burmese pythons, part of the Florida Python Challenge with a $25,000 prize and record captures.

  6. 28 days ago

    [POLITICS] 2 sources
    Florida launches $25,000 Python Challenge to curb invasive pythons in Everglades

    Florida’s wildlife agencies offer $25,000 in prizes for capturing invasive Burmese pythons, with 934 participants removing 294 snakes in 2025 and ongoing scientific tracking to protect the Everglades.

  7. about 1 month ago

    [INTERNATIONAL] 2 sources
    Florida Everglades crews locate two 17‑foot Burmese pythons preying on deer

    Everglades crews found two 17‑ft invasive Burmese pythons together, likely feeding on deer; officials label them high‑priority for removal due to reproductive threat.

  8. about 1 month ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 3 sources
    Florida expands fight against invasive Burmese pythons with competition and GPS‑collared possum bait

    Florida's Python Challenge runs July 10‑19 with a $10,000 prize, while scientists use GPS‑collared possums to locate and remove invasive Burmese pythons.

  9. about 2 months ago

    [POLITICS] 2 sources
    Everglades Burmese Python Removal Hits Record with 177 Snakes and 4,100 Eggs Taken

    Florida biologists removed a record 177 Burmese pythons and 4,100 eggs using scout snakes, while a July 10‑19 Python Challenge offers $25,000 in prizes to aid Everglades invasive‑species control.

Sources

2001online.com · apach57.fr · ca.sports.yahoo.com · centralfloridalifestyle.com · ecoticias.com · finos.org · fox35orlando.com · insider.foxnews.com · keysnews.com · keysweekly.com · kiwaradio.com · merkur-online.de · myfoxtampabay.com · nakedcapitalism.com · noticiasambientales.com.ar · outdoorlife.com · thecooldown.com · theguardian.co.uk · woub.org

This summary has been updated 4 times: see revision history