SWFL.io - Local NewsReporter: Eric Lovelace
•7/9/2026
EVERGLADES, Fla. (WINK) — The 2026 Florida Python Hunt begins at midnight on Friday. Registration for the event started on Tuesday.
Burmese pythons are taking over the Everglades and threatening Florida's native wildlife.
The invasive snakes are spreading beyond the Everglades and into neighborhoods in Southwest Florida. One female python can lay more than 100 eggs at a time, making population control extremely difficult.
The state holds an annual python hunt to help manage the growing population.
Experts and snake trappers say that while the annual hunt can help remove thousands of snakes, there are an estimated hundreds of thousands in the Everglades alone. The largest python caught was more than 15 feet long.
According to the South Florida Water Management District, a python's diet to reach 13 feet in five to seven years includes deer, birds, alligators, mice and rabbits. These pythons have been found as far north as Charlotte County.
The hatchlings are born about a foot long and are ready to eat immediately. If they grow large enough, cats and dogs are not out of the question.
"They're in your backyard, they're in your communities, whether you're living in a built subdivision or in a rural community, they're there," said Mike Elfenbein, a python hunter.
Registration for the hunt is still open. All participants must read the rules, take the free required online training and pass the quiz with at least 85% before registering.