Grand prize winner removed 20 Burmese pythons from the wild in Florida challenge

Associated Press

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The winner of the Florida Python Challenge removed 20 Burmese pythons from the Everglades. Ronald Kiger was announced as the winner on Tuesday and will take home the $10,000 grand prize. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission awards about $25,000 in prizes for hunters who humanely kill and remove the invasive snakes from the designated competition areas during a 10-day period. The goal is to bring awareness of the dangers of Burmese pythons in Florida’s ecosystem and how they could affect native populations. More than 800 people from 33 states and Canada participated in this year’s challenge. Hunters removed a total of 195 Burmese pythons.