Dustin Crum, owner of Wildman’s Pizza, Pasta and Python in Everglades City, Florida, has introduced a unique bartering system: dead Burmese pythons can be exchanged for a free large specialty pizza. Crum, who also participates in snake hunting, reportedly developed this initiative inspired by the ongoing Florida Python Challenge.
The Florida Python Challenge, which concludes on July 19, aims to reduce the population of invasive Burmese pythons in the Everglades. These snakes, native to Southeast Asia, have become a significant ecological problem in Florida since their introduction in the 1970s. Estimates suggest their population could reach 300,000, and they are known to consume and outcompete native wildlife. Females can lay up to 70 eggs at a time, contributing to their rapid proliferation. These reptiles can grow to over 20 feet long, posing a considerable threat to the local ecosystem.
Crum accepts recently deceased and humanely dispatched pythons. He stated that the initiative is particularly popular with local youths who participate in the challenge and may not know what to do with their catch. "They catch them. They don’t know what to do with them. They’re hungry. They want pizza," Crum told CBC.
Beyond offering pizzas, Crum utilizes the pythons by processing their fat for skin creams and soaps, and crafting jewelry from their bones. He also adorns some pizzas with python meat, describing the flavor as "gamey" but good, though he is not permitted to sell the meat directly as it is not prepared by a licensed butcher. He also offers slices topped with iguana meat, another invasive species in Florida. Crum refers to himself as a "swampeprenuer" for his diverse use of the invasive reptiles.