Mark H. BickelFort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News
July 10, 2026, 5:02 a.m. ET
Can Florida hunters cut off the head of a python to kill it?
- The Florida Python Challenge is an annual competition to help control the invasive Burmese python population.
- Hunters must humanely kill captured pythons, and decapitation is not considered a humane method.
- To humanely kill a python, one must first render it unconscious and then destroy the brain.
- Participants in the Python Challenge will be disqualified if they are found to have inhumanely killed a snake.
When it comes to hunting Burmese pythons in Florida, there are specific protocols hunters need to follow, ranging from training and certification to safety and to how to humanely kill the invasive snake.
The 2026 Florida Python Challenge begins on July 10. The 10-day competition was started in 2013 to help raise awareness about the invasive Burmese python, which is wreaking havoc with the ecosystem in south Florida.
As of July 7, more than 600 hunters had registered with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) for this year’s competition. That number is expected to grow by the time the competition starts on Friday (July 10). More than 900 people participated in the 2025 Python Challenge
Hunters are competing for $25,000 in cash prizes in a variety of categories, including a $10,000 grand prize (most pythons removed).
Cutting off the head of a python: Why hunters shouldn’t do it
When a hunter locates a python during the Python Challenge and eventually captures it, the next step is to humanely kill the snake.
While it may seem easy and effective, cutting off the head of a captured does not fall under the heading of “humanely” killing it, according to the FWC.
Why it’s wrong to cut off the head of a python?
Decapitating a python is considered inhumane and is not a recommended standalone method by the FWC. Because snakes have slow metabolisms and can tolerate low oxygen, the detached head can remain conscious and alive for an extended period, leading to a prolonged, agonizing death.
“Essentially, snakes may not lose consciousness immediately if the brain is still intact, even if the head is separated from the body,” said FWC spokesperson Lisa Thompson, who works in the Division of Habitat and Species Conservation. “While Burmese pythons (and other nonnative reptiles) are not protected in Florida other than by anti-cruelty laws, there is a legal and ethical obligation for nonnative reptiles to be killed in a humane manner. Any methods used should be humane and ensure immediate loss of consciousness and destruction of the brain.”
How is that accomplished?
How to humanely kill a Burmese python in Florida
According to FWC, Burmese pythons are not protected in Florida except by anti-cruelty law. Burmese python must be humanely euthanized.
Two steps must be completed to kill a python humanely:
Apply the tool to the target area (brain) to achieve an immediate loss of consciousness.
Step 1 – Target the brain: The application of the tool should immediately result in the python losing consciousness.
Draw an imaginary line between each eye and opposite jawbone.
The brain is located where the two lines intersect.
- Step 2- Destroy the brain: Immediately and substantially destroy the python’s brain by manually “pithing” which prevents the python from regaining consciousness.
- Insert a small rod (a rigid, metal tool like a screwdriver, spike or pick of sufficient length) into the cranial cavity.
- Use deliberate, multi-directional movement, move the rod forward along the left and right sides of the brain and then toward the brainstem, ensuring substantial destruction of the brain.
Did you know: Florida Python Challenge python killing policy
According to Thompson, it is a requirement for pythons to be humanely killed during the Python Challenge competition – if a python is found to be inhumanely killed, the participant will be disqualified.
Can you shoot Burmese pythons in Florida?
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says Burmese pythons can be shot on private property at any time with the landowner’s permission as long as local laws and regulations allow it.