Python Removal Training
Burmese pythons, though large when fully grown, are notoriously difficult to find. The color and pattern of a python’s skin is designed to help it blend in with surrounding vegetation, allowing this powerful ambush predator to remain virtually undetected when potential prey animals are near. Because these snakes can be difficult to spot and require specific handling guidelines, all participants in the Florida Python Challenge™ 2020 Python Bowl are required to take the Python Challenge™ Online Training Camp that will help them more effectively identify and remove these constrictors from the wild.
We learned from the 2013 and 2016 Python Challenge™ events that participants with more experience and/or training are more effective at locating and removing pythons from the wild. In addition to the required online training, optional Florida Python Challenge™ 2020 Python Bowl In-person Trainings will be offered December 2019 up until the 2020 Python Challenge™ kickoff.
Trainings for the Python Challenge™ will educate participants on how to identify, report, and safely and humanely kill Burmese pythons. Participants will also learn how to correctly distinguish pythons from native snakes.
Python Bowl Online Training Camp
The Python Bowl Online Training Camp is required for all participants. Don't forget to take this important training.
Can’t take part in the Python Challenge™ but you’d still like to get involved? There are several opportunities for you to help us manage invasive wildlife in Florida. Attend our Kickoff Event and Awards Ceremony to learn more about nonnative species and how to identify and report them. For those who would like to help remove Burmese pythons and other invasive species throughout the year, we invite you to learn more by visiting MyFWC.com/Python.
Remember, you can photograph and report sightings of nonnative wildlife year-round to the FWC’s Exotic Species Hotline at 1-888-483-4861, online at IVEGOT1.org or by using the free smart phone app IVEGOT1.
