Professional hunter Tom Rahill has won the 2026 Florida Python Challenge after capturing 96 invasive Burmese pythons during the 10-day competition.
According to the report, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission awarded Rahill the $10,000 grand prize for removing the highest number of snakes from the Everglades.
The report said the annual challenge is designed to reduce the population of Burmese pythons, an invasive species introduced to Florida in the 1970s that has become a major threat to native wildlife.
This year's event attracted 907 participants from 30 U.S. states, as well as Canada and Vietnam, who collectively removed 280 pythons from the ecosystem.
Competitors faced difficult conditions, including drought, wildfires and thunderstorms, throughout the challenge.
Despite relatively few reported python sightings in some parts of Florida this year, wildlife experts cautioned that lower sighting numbers should not be interpreted as evidence that the invasive snakes have disappeared from those areas.
Related Tweet:
Florida Python Challenge winner captures 96 snakes; hunters corral 280 overall https://t.co/uxDuu5o4eE pic.twitter.com/w5cW9FXFbF
— WPXI (@WPXI) August 6, 2026
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