Tom Rahill emerged as the winner of the 2026 Florida Python Challenge by capturing and humanely euthanizing 96 invasive Burmese pythons in the Everglades National Park. The event, held over 10 days across eight designated hunting locations, encourages hunters to remove as many of these snakes as possible to protect the Everglades ecosystem.

Hosted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the South Florida Water Management District, the National Park Service, and other partners, this year’s competition attracted 907 participants from 30 U.S. states, as well as Canada and Vietnam. The winner received a $10,000 cash prize.

Rahill, a professional python hunter and founder of SwampApes—a group that takes veterans with PTSD on python hunts in Florida’s wetlands—said he was initially on a mission to help a veteran capture a large snake. After achieving that goal, he ventured deeper into the Everglades and found the 96 pythons.

Before the contest began, 1,400 pythons had already been removed from the area this year. Since the event’s inception in 2017, more than 1,600 Burmese pythons have been eliminated as part of efforts to raise public awareness of invasive species and involve the community in conservation.

The Burmese python is an invasive species threatening the native wildlife and ecological balance of the Everglades, making such initiatives critical for environmental protection.

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