Snake hunters helped thin out Burmese pythons during the 13th annual Florida Python Challenge, capturing 280 of the invasive reptiles during the 10-day event that ended on July 19.
The event drew 907 hunters to South Florida from 30 states, Canada and Vietnam, the Sun Sentinel reported.
Tom Rahill was the top snake trapper, harvesting 96 Burmese pythons to win the $10,000 grand prize, according to the Naples Daily News.
Rahill was recognized on Wednesday by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at a commission meeting in Panama City. He founded The Swamp Apes, a group based in Broward County that takes veterans suffering from PTSD on python hunts.
A total of $25,000 was distributed to hunters in three categories, the Daily News reported -- professional, novice and military -- for hunters who participated.
When he accepted his award, Rahill said he had a specific goal to achieve, according to the newspaper.
The results are in — 280 invasive Burmese #pythons were removed during the 2026 #Florida Python Challenge™! Congrats to all the winners, including the Ultimate Grand Prize winner, Tom Rahill for removing 96 pythons! #Everglades #conservation
— MyFWC (@MyFWC) August 5, 2026
More information:… pic.twitter.com/j1hT6qENKE
“I was on a mission to get one of our veterans a big snake,” Rahill said. “I did it. And we wrestled this thing. That was the mission. To get him a big snake -- it was a 17-foot female. The veteran was just over the moon.”
After meeting his goal, Rahill turned his focus to harvesting snakes -- lots of them. He combed Everglades National Park to harvest the reptiles.
“I went deeper in the Glades and that’s when I found those 96,” he said.
Managed by the FWC and the South Florida Water Management District, the Burmese python hunt has been held in South Florida since 2013. Last year’s snake total was 294, according to the Sun Sentinel. Since the Challenge began, snake hunters have removed 1,400 Burmese pythons, the Daily News reported.
According to the FWC, nearly 28,000 wild Burmese pythons have been removed from Florida since 2000.
“The Florida Python Challenge shows what is possible when we all come together around a shared conservation goal,” Nick Wiley, executive director of the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, said in a statement. “Each python removed helps conserve the native wildlife that makes the Everglades so extraordinary. We are proud to support this important effort and congratulate this year’s winners and thank all who took part.”
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