Florida Man Won $10K By Doing What Most People Fear

I would love to win $10K, but not by doing this! Congratulations to Ronald Kieger of Marion County for doing something that I could never do. Im pretty sure this is something that you could not accomplish either seeing that half of the American population fears SNAKES! Have you heard of the Python Challenge? It's takes place every year in the Florida Everglades which is about 4 hours from where I live in St. Petersburg. The Florida Python Challenge is a 10 day competition which encourages people to remove Burmese Pythons from seven Commission managed lands in South Florida.

Ronald Kieger won $10K after he removed 20 Burmese Pythons from the Florida Everglades. Im happy for Kieger because after being the runner-up last year, he is now crowned king of the Florida Python Challenge. The challenge which took place over 10 days had 800 participants from all of the country and Canada. Others won money as well and all together the Florida Python Challenge dishes out $25K in prize money every year.

The money gets divided up into three categories. Those categories include, Professional, military and novice. This year over 195 Pythons were removed from the everglades. A congratulations is also in order for a Florida woman who won $2,500 after catching 19 pythons in the professional category. If you ever want to participate in the Florida Python Challenge, it takes place every year in August. The hunt is supposed to bring awareness to the invasive threat of Burmese Pythons in Florida. Pythons prey on mammals, birds and other reptiles. They can also spread diseases among animals that humans eat. Since 2000 about 22k pythons have been removed from out great state. Will you be participating in the Florida Python Challenge next year? Feel free to email me, Babs@wild941.com

There are a lot of dangerous animals in Florida. But if you ever wondered what the most dangerous are? This list was put together by A-Z Animals. Between 1999 and 2019 only 247 people in Florida died as a result of an animal attack. Florida ranks as the third deadliest state in the United States for animal attacks. Texas is number one with 520 and California is number two with 299. Those findings come from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

So, what is the first animal that you think of when you think dangerous in Florida? You probably think of the Alligator, but that isn’t the number one overall dangerous animal in Florida. The Great White Shark is the most dangerous animal in Florida. While not on the land in Florida Great White Sharks swim the waters around the state of Florida. Back in 2020 Florida had 16 shark bites on record. Second was Hawaii with only five.

The dangerous animals in Florida that didn’t make the top five are some that you may have thought could’ve been higher. Firstly, number six on the list is the Black Widow Spider followed by the Florida Panther. The Florida Panther is the state animal. It was chosen in 1982 by a vote of students throughout the state. Following the Florida Panther on the list is the Wild Boar. You can find the Wild Boar in all 67 counties of Florida. Their estimated population is over half a million.

Next is the Timber Rattlesnake. It is also known as the canebreak rattlesnake and it is a species of pit viper. The Timber Rattlesnake has a Chevron pattern and a stripe running down its body. Finally, coming in number 10 on the list is the American Crocodile. They are found along the coast of Florida as north as the Hillsborough/Pasco County border on the west side of Florida.

Below, you can find the top five most dangerous animals in Florida.

Yes, Great White Sharks are found in the waters around Florida. A almost 1,200 pound shark that was almost 13 feet in length was tracked back in March of this year.

#1 and #2 on the list are sharks. They are in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. They grow to about 11 feet and can live about 24 years.

Alligators live in all 67 counties in Florida. You can find alligators in any body of water including lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes, swamps and man-made canals. We've seen multiple reports this year of gator attacks, even some fatal ones.

They are found in pine flatwoods, longleaf pine and turkey oak hammocks, sand pine scrub areas, and coastal barrier islands. Yes it is venomous.

It is venomous and can be found throughout Florida. It is called a cottonmouth because of the white color of the inside of its mouth.

They've been a problem for Florida for decades. Burmese pythons are not native to Florida. They are found in India, lower China, the Malay Peninsula and some islands of the East Indies. But pythons that have been released since the 1980s into the Everglades have messed up the ecosystem by feeding on everything from eggs to deer. The Florida Python Challenge offers up some big cash to would-be python hunters who can help rid the Everglades of the snakes that can grow to 20 feet long.

The Florida Python Challenge began at 8am Friday morning and runs through Sunday, August 14.

You do need to register and there's a $25 entry fee that goes to the Fish & Wildlife Foundation. You also need to take a training quiz and score at least 85%. A Florida hunting license is NOT required.

It's not illegal to eat python meat, but they do warn you that some pythons that have been removed from the Everglades have had high amounts of mercury.

You don't need to be a Florida resident to participate. Those under 18 can also participate but will need parental permission.

Thousands of dollars in prize money are up for grabs. The top prize is $2,500 for the one who catches the most. If you catch the longest python, you score $1,500. Those from the military are eligible for extra cash prizes up to $2,000.