Professional Snake Trapper Questions Effectiveness of Florida Python Challenge

A professional snake hunter says the trapping of Florida’s Burmese python should be left to the professionals. (Photo by dwi putra stock)

A Florida Burmese python trapper is asking for the state to end the Florida Python Challenge. Each year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) puts on the 10-day competition in an effort to help rid the Everglades of the invasive pythons. But Brandon Rahe said python hunting should be left to the pros.

"You have all this extra vehicular traffic happening throughout quiet areas just disturbing all the native wildlife for very little return on investment," Rahe told fox35orlando.com.

Rahe, who has participated in the challenge twice and has worked with FWC as a contracted trapper for two years, said professionals like him usually avoid the competition.

"You have the most skilled individuals that are vetted that successfully captured pythons," Rahe said. "You have them not hunting because they don't want to be surrounded by the chaos the challenge brings."

Each year, approximately 1,000 people participate in the challenge. Those who catch the most pythons win prize money. In 2023, contestants turned in 209 pythons.

"It's a family activity," amateur trapper Brendan Cronin said. "Me and my friends go out and do it all the time. We just go out and have a fun night catching snakes."

In addition to ridding the Everglades of the snake, FWC said one goal is to raise awareness of invasive species and the threat they pose to wildlife.

Cronin said raising awareness is important to attract more trappers to the challenge and the cause. Rahe said the professionals are more efficient at trapping the pythons than amateurs and cause fewer problems in the process. Cronin says there’s some truth to that, but that the amateurs are still out there doing their small part.

Rahe said the public needs to be aware that they can trap pythons outside the 10-day challenge. "What you really need is people hunting these pythons year-round, not just for 10 days, but the general public is under the impression that the 10-day challenge is the only time they can be involved," Rahe said.