A Florida resident caught 96 pythons and won a contest for $10,000.

Tom Rahill, a resident of the American state of Florida, became the winner of the annual competition, catching 96 Burmese pythons in the Everglades National Park, for which he received the main prize — $ 10 thousand. This was announced on August 6 by the organizers of the Florida Python Challenge.

In addition to Rahill, the awards were given to the winners in separate categories. Among the professional participants, the first place was taken by Kristina Kraus, who caught 36 snakes. In the novice category, the winner was Bart Shreve, who captured nine Burmese pythons.

The organizers also noted the participants who caught the largest snakes. The professional category was won by Ram Levinson, who discovered a python 16 feet 5 inches (about 5 m) long.

The competition was held from July 10 to July 19 and gathered 907 participants from 30 American states and other countries. During the event, participants jointly removed 280 invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades ecosystem.

Burmese pythons in Florida are considered a threat to local nature, as this alien species affects the populations of birds, mammals and other animals in the national park.

Here are the vipers: why snakes have become more likely to attack people

Experts warn of a possible increase in such cases due to an increase in the reptile population.

In Florida, a tourist died on June 28 as a result of an attack by an alligator, which bit off the injured hand and mutilated the other while relaxing in the river. A 31-year-old girl in the company of a young man and a friend decided to swim in shallow water. At that moment, the reptile grabbed her by the arms. The victim's companions called rescuers, the man tried to free the girl from the jaws of the predator on his own, but his efforts did not bring results.