As a lead-up to Super Bowl LIV and in concert with the Miami Super Bowl Host committee, the Python Bowl will be staged in the Everglades on Jan. 10-19 as part of the Super Bowl’s philanthropic focus.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, holding a python-skinned football, announced Thursday the opening of registration for the 2020 Python Challenge Python Bowl, a python-catching contest that will help rid the Everglades of the invasive constrictors.

The pro and rookie catching the longest python will each win $2,000. The most pythons in both pro and rookie categories will win a $5,000 Tracker 570 Off Road ATV. Other money and prizes will be by random drawings. The winners will be announced Jan. 25 at a Super Bowl LIV event. The actual Super Bowl is Feb. 2.

The Python Bowl is open to the public, but those who register must first complete a free online training on how to safely catch and handle pythons.

“The protection of our environment and natural resources is critical,” Governor DeSantis said. “Invasive Burmese pythons have decimated local wildlife and pose a massive threat to natural food chains and flora and fauna. The 2020 Python Bowl is sure to be a great success, and I look forward to the positive effects it will have on preserving and protecting the Everglades ecosystem.”

The governor also announced that python contractors will immediately be able to access over 150 miles of secondary trails within Big Cypress National Park.

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Pythons were discovered in the Everglades two decades ago and have established a population estimated to be over 100,000. The creatures are causing serious damage to the ecosystem of the Everglades as they feed on native wildlife like deer, bobcats, alligators, possum and rabbits.

The Florida Wildlife Commission and South Florida Water Management District instituted an eradication program that rewards python hunters for catching the invasive species. The Python Bowl is in addition to that program.

“As a conservation biologist, it is exciting to be completely aligned with our policy-makers including FWC Commissioners and the governor to combat this important conservation issue,” Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission executive director Eric Sutton said.

Every Super Bowl has a philanthropic focus and, for the first time, the environment has been chosen as the emphasis with the Ocean to Everglades (OSE) initiative, involving the Host Committee, the Everglades Foundation and Ocean Conservancy.

Rodney Barreto, chairman of the Miami Super Bowl Host Committee, sits on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“We know Governor DeSantis and many partners have long been committed to environmental initiatives like this,” Barreto said. “With the support of the Miami Super Bowl Committee, we now have a broader audience ready to learn more about the unique ecosystem of South Florida and how they can help conserve it.”

Photo of Florida governor Ron DeSantis holding a python-skinned football courtesy of the Governor’s Press Office.

Four people holding a record 17-foot python courtesy of Big Cypress National Preserve.

Three people holding massive python courtesy of USGS.

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