Florida hunter captures 96 pythons, wins $10,000

A Florida hunter captured 96 invasive Burmese pythons over ten days to win the 2026 Florida Python Challenge, an annual competition that resulted in the removal of 280 snakes from the Everglades ecosystem. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced the results on August 5, 2026, declaring the event a significant victory for native wildlife conservation.

Thomas Rahill, founder of the veteran-focused nonprofit The Swamp Apes, secured the $10,000 grand prize. His captures, along with those of 906 other participants from 30 states, Canada, and Vietnam, contributed to the total haul. Officials said the challenge is a key component of the state's broader strategy to control the python population, a species introduced through the exotic pet trade decades ago that now poses a severe threat to native birds, mammals, and reptiles.

The competition featured multiple categories. Rahm Levinson won $1,000 for capturing the longest python, a snake measuring 16 feet, 5 inches, within Everglades National Park. In the professional division, Christina Kraus took first place with 36 pythons, earning $2,500, while Taylor Stanberry placed second with 34 pythons for $1,500. Awards...