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At Wildman's Pizza, Pasta and Pythons in Everglades City, Florida, hunters can trade invasive Burmese pythons for a free large specialty pizza during the state's annual python-removal challenge, a local promotion tied to the Everglades' larger fight against the destructive snakes.
What's happening?
The restaurant is using the 2026 Florida Python Challenge to highlight its snake-for-pizza deal. The annual state-backed effort is meant to reduce the number of invasive Burmese pythons in the Everglades, and as CBC reported, owner Dusty Crum said his business may be "the only pizza place in the world" that accepts the snakes as currency.
"You get any python, you get a free specialty pizza, large pizza of your choice," Crum, who owns the restaurant, told "As It Happens" host Nil Köksal, as quoted by CBC.
Crum said the deal has caught on with local children, who bring in snakes they have caught and then come by looking for a meal.
The challenge is held each summer by the state wildlife agency and the South Florida Water Management District. Participants have to complete online training on finding Burmese pythons and killing them humanely, and whoever turns in the most carcasses wins $10,000.
He also sometimes cooks python for customers, adding meat sautéed in garlic butter to a pizza, though it is not a regular menu item because the meat does not come from a licensed butcher. "It's got a gamey flavor," he said. "It's good."
Why does it matter?
Burmese pythons are not native to Florida, and their invasive population has become a major threat to wildlife in the Everglades. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson Jason Schultz said, "These invasive snakes threaten our precious native ecosystem by preying upon the wildlife that lives there, including wading birds, mammals, and other reptiles."
The snakes are especially difficult to control because they grow large, have few natural predators in Florida, and reproduce quickly — one female can lay 50 to 100 eggs at a time. CBC's summary of FWC data says adult Burmese pythons caught in Florida usually measure 6 to 9 feet; however, the largest one captured there came in at over 18 feet long.
Experts have noted that human-driven environmental change can increase conflict with wildlife, as explored in this BBC Future report.
What's being done?
Florida's main response is direct removal. Florida allows people to kill Burmese pythons year-round without a permit if it is done humanely, CBC reported, and the Python Challenge is designed to bring more trained people into the effort during a concentrated period.
Crum said his restaurant has become "the unofficial hub" for the event, where hunters trade stories and strategies after long nights in the swamp. Beyond the pizzas, Crum sells items made from pythons, including jewelry, accessories and snake oil, creating a small local market tied to removing the invasive reptiles.
"Invasive Burmese pythons are one of the most destructive species in America's Everglades," Schultz said. Crum, who is a python hunter himself, put the challenge more simply: "Snakin' ain't easy. It is the right place at the right time. We're looking for a 10-foot needle in a three-million acre haystack."
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