About

Welcome to floridapython.org!  We are an educational resource that provides information about the Florida Python Challenge, an event that is both unethical and ineffective in removing Florida’s invasive Burmese pythons.

The Challenge is unethical as it does not ensure that all pythons are killed in a humane manner.  Humanely killing pythons is a difficult task, and not everyone who joins the challenge is qualified.  Rookies who have no experience are allowed to participate, and they are unable to successfully, humanely, and safely remove pythons.  As such, they put themselves and the animals at risk of injury and suffering.

In addition to being unethical, the Challenge is ineffective.  Out of the 300,000 pythons in Florida, each Challenge only kills about 60-80, a tiny fraction of a huge population.  To successfully solve the python problem, other steps must be taken.  Educating the public, as well as hiring and training professionals to remove the pythons, are two measures that can be enacted.  More data on pythons also needs to be collected.

The goal of the Florida Python Challenge is to rid the Everglades of invasive Burmese pythons, but the Challenge has barely made a dent in the python population.  There are ways the python issue can be solved successfully, but hosting the Challenge is not one of them.