Gordon Ramsay Takes on Burmese Python Hunt in Florida Python Challenge
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has joined the fight against Florida’s invasive Burmese pythons in the Florida Python Challenge.
The Emmy-nominated chef accompanied one of the South Florida Management District’s python hunters, capturing three snakes in western Miami-Dade County.
The hunt was part of an upcoming segment of his latest series, “The F Word with Gordon Ramsay,” which airs Wednesday on Fox.
The pythons they killed brought the total number of invasive pythons killed by the SFWMD Board of Directors’ Python Eradication program to 317 in four months.
The Michelin-starred chef is no stranger to South Florida. In 2022, Ramsay visited Benny’s on the Beach after fishing off the pier with his son Jack.
Gordon Ramsay visits the popular Palm Beach County waterfront restaurant
What is the Florida Python Challenge?
The Florida Python Challenge is a python-catching contest that takes place in August. Entrants have nine days to kill as many Burmese pythons as possible. The 2024 python-catching contest begins at 12:01 a.m. on August 9 and ends at 5 p.m. on August 18. The contest helps protect the Everglades and all native animals by eliminating invasive Burmese pythons.
Why hunt Burmese pythons?
The Burmese python is an invasive species that poses a threat to wildlife in the Everglades. Florida pays hunters annually to catch the snakes. The contest helps protect the Everglades and all native animals by eliminating invasive Burmese pythons. State-sanctioned hunters can win up to $25,000 this year.
209 snakes were caught in the 2023 Florida Python Challenge. The prize is $10,000.
The prize will be awarded to the longest or most snakes caught. Hunters can register through the final day of the contest on August 18. To enter, visit FLPythonChallenge.org.
Laura Lordi is Digital Audience Editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. She can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on the Palm Beach Post: Gordon Ramsay kills Burmese pythons in Florida Python Challenge
