(10 Aug 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Fort Lauderdale, Florida – 09 August 2024
1. Python on ground
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Zachary Chejanovski, interagency python management coordinator, Florida Wildlife Commission:
"The main goal of the Python Challenge is to increase awareness about invasive species issues, particularly the Burmese python here in Florida, but also invasive species issues in general. And again, the python problem is, it’s a big problem. And so we want to make sure that to get the word out as much as possible, because we can’t do this alone."
3. Wide python catching demonstration
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Zachary Chejanovski, interagency python management coordinator, Florida Wildlife Commission:
"Last year’s Python challenge, we had over 200 pythons removed from the environment. And, so whether that’s a big or small number, I’ll just make this note that every python removed from the environment is a win for native species."
5. Close python
6. Wide Kattalikis catching python
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Jay Kattalikis, python hunter:
"It’s my first time doing this particular challenge, but, me and my partner here are more used to wrangling gators, wrestling gators and handling smaller snakes like copperheads, moccasins and rattlers. So this will be the first time for this. So we’re looking forward to it."
8. Chejanovski placing python in bag
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Jay Kattalikis, python hunter:
"All I could think was, holy crap, this is what I’ve been doing my entire life, and there’s a tournament doing it? I want to do this!"
10. Wide participant taking photograph
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Lou Vesser, participant in demonstration:
"They’re outcompeting us. You know, we can’t catch them fast enough. We can’t get to the places that they’re located. So everyone on board is, you know, just a growing awareness of it, is the best thing that we can possibly do."
12. Close up of caught python on ground
STORYLINE:
Friday marked the start of the annual Florida Python Challenge, where hunters head into the Everglades to track down invasive Burmese pythons in hopes of grabbing a share of $30,000 in prizes.
A dozen would-be hunters gathered Friday morning at the Everglades Holiday Park for a demonstration about safe python capture practices held by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
"All I could think was, holy crap, this is what I’ve been doing my entire life, and there’s a tournament doing it? I want to do this” said Jay Kattalikis, a would-be python hunter who drove down from Mississippi for the competition with his friend Michael Huckabee.
Over the past decade, the python challenge has grabbed headlines for its incentive-based, only-in-Florida style of hunting as well as celebrity participation. This year, more than 600 people registered for the event, with two coming from Canada and 108 from other states.
During the challenge, hunters will linger around designated areas spanning through western Broward County to the Tamiami Trail in the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area, including other management areas like Southern Glades, Holey Land and Rotenberger.
The goal is to humanely kill as many pythons as possible, and prizes divide between three groups: professional hunters who work for the state, hunters who are active in the military or are veterans and novice hunters, which includes anyone who is not working as a state contracted python hunter.
The grand prize for the most kills in all categories gets a $10,000 prize.
AP video by Daniel Kozin.
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