Deadly Everglades Invader: Python Challenge 2013 Is On

The 2013 Python Challenge has been launched to harvest the deadly everglades invader pythons off Florida’s fragile ecosystem.

Nearly 800 people signed up for the month-long “Python Challenge” that started Saturday afternoon. The state is giving out cash prizes to whoever gets the longest python and whoever gathers the most pythons by the time the competition ends at midnight Feb. 10.

Dozens of would-be python hunters showed up for some last-minute training in snake handling Saturday morning at the University of Florida Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center in Davie.

The training came down to common sense: Drink water, wear sunscreen, don’t get bitten by anything and don’t shoot anyone.

“We feel like anybody can get out in the Everglades and figure out how to try and find these things,” said Nick Wiley, executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “It’s very safe, getting out in the Everglades. People do it all the time.”

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