Florida teen who captured 28 Burmese pythons during 'Challenge' has plans for prize money
MIAMI - During the Florida Python Challenge last August, 19-year-old Matthew Concepcion captured 28 Burmese pythons.
The 10-day competition was created to increase awareness about the invasive species, and the threats they pose to the state's ecology.
Concepcion was among the 1,000 participants from 32 states, Canada, and Latvia who participated in the annual challenge, which removed 231 of the unwanted pythons, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
For his efforts, he was awarded the $10,000 Ultimate Grand Prize courtesy of the Bergeron Everglades Foundation.
Concepcion said he's been hunting pythons for about five years, and typically looks for them at night because that's when they're on the move, seeking the warmth of roads. He uses his vehicle lights to spot them.
This year, however, he only spotted one on the roads in the Everglades, so he changed strategies.
"I worked a levee, caught a couple of hatchings, and was like, 'Dang, this might be the ticket!' So every single night from then on, I went out there - just before sundown to sunup."
Concepcion says he walked the canal, using a flashlight to probe the underbrush. Smaller snakes are so well camouflaged that he looks for their shadows cast by the flashlight beam, he told the newspaper. But larger snakes are easier to find.
"They will have a slightly purple tint to them. They're really beautiful."
Concepcion said he may use some of his earnings to buy a powerful lighting setup for his truck, which will help him spot more snakes.
"Our python hunters are passionate about what they do and care very much about Florida's precious environment. We are removing record numbers of pythons and we're going to keep at it," South Florida Water Management District Governing Board Member "Alligator Ron" Bergeron
Another big winner this year was Dustin Crum. He won a $1,500 grand prize for removing the longest python, at just over 11 feet.
Earlier this year, a team of biologists hauled in the heaviest Burmese python ever captured in Florida. That female python weighed in at 215 pounds, was nearly 18 feet long and had 122 developing eggs, according to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.