Leer en espa\u00f1ol<\/a><\/p>\nDozens of aspiring python hunters attended a training session Friday in west Broward County to learn how to safely capture and handle wild Burmese pythons, which have become a major threat to Florida\u2019s native wildlife.<\/p>\n
Among them was Sarah Gonzalez.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really exciting. I\u2019ve never done anything like that before,\u201d Gonzalez said after successfully capturing two pythons during the training.<\/p>\n
The Florida Python Challenge officially began Friday, giving participants the opportunity to help remove invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades while competing for cash prizes.<\/p>\n
During the training, experts demonstrated the proper techniques for approaching and securing the snakes, emphasizing that safety should always come first.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can double back and strike at you at a pretty fast speed,\u201d one instructor explained. <\/p>\n
Instructors warned participants never to attempt to capture a python alone because of the potential dangers.<\/p>\n
Instead, they encouraged hunters to be patient and avoid rushing a capture.<\/p>\n
\u201cReally take your time,\u201d an instructor said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t get a good pin the first time, it\u2019s OK to back up and try again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those who completed the required training and signed participation waivers practiced capturing live pythons under the supervision of experienced handlers before venturing into the Everglades.<\/p>\n
For Gonzalez, the motivation goes beyond the thrill of the hunt.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlorida is my home, and Burmese pythons are not a native species,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The annual Florida Python Challenge is designed to help reduce the invasive snake population while raising awareness about the ecological damage Burmese pythons have caused throughout South Florida. Participants who remove the most snakes during the competition are eligible for cash prizes, including a top prize of $10,000.<\/p>\n
The python removal competition ends at 5 p.m. on July 19. For more information, click here. <\/a><\/p>\n\ud83c\udfe0 News From Your Neighborhood<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 As the 2026 Florida Python Challenge gets underway, participants are getting up close with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":335912,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-335911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335911"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335911\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/335912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}