He slithered away with the big win.
Hunters removed nearly 200 invasive Burmese pythons from the Florida Everglades during 2024’s Florida Python Challenge this summer – and the winners got some cash to take home, too.
The $10,000 grand prize went to Ronald Kiger, who removed 20 pythons from the swamp during the 10-day hunt in August, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced.
“I just want to say thanks to my family for putting up with 10 days of camping in the swamp with the heat and the bugs,” Kiger told the Palm Beach Post of his win.
“We enjoy getting out there and doing it and helping the state out,” he added.
Last year, Kiger was the direct-runner to the grand prize winner, the FWC said.
Over 800 competitors from 33 states and Canada took part in this year’s python hunt, which is held annually to raise awareness about the dangers the pythons pose to native wildlife, including indigenous snakes and other animals.
The competition takes place in August to coincide with the python egg-hatching season.
During the hunt, the participants are tasked with humanely killing the pythons and turning their carcasses into the three official check stations in South Florida.
“Over 14,000 pythons have been successfully removed by FWC and South Florida Water Management District contractors since 2017,” Rodney Barreto, chairman of the FWC, said Tuesday.
“This collective effort continues to have a direct positive impact on the Everglades and our native wildlife through removal and awareness.”
In addition to the hefty grand prize, runners up in the three competitive categories – professional, novice, and military – were also rewarded for their trouble.
Donna Kalil, a South Florida contractor, was just one python away from Kiger with 19 removed snakes, the FWC said.
She walked away with a nice $2,500 prize in the professional category.
Each category also had a prize for longest python.
The longest snake in the competition was reined in by novice Dennis Krum, who was awarded $1,000 for his 9 foot-11 inch catch.
The two other longest pythons measured in at 8 feet, 11 inches, and 9 feet, 7 inches long.
Hunters contracted through the FWC and the South Florida Water Management District comb the Everglades year-roud to remove the invasive pythons.
About 22,000 pythons have been removed from the state since 2000, the wildlife agency said.