"Bring in a Snake, Get a Free Pizza"... Why a Florida Pizza Shop Accepts 5-Meter Pythons

Exchange a Difficult-to-Dispose Invasive Species Carcass for Pizza

A pizza shop in Florida, USA, has attracted attention by offering free pizzas to customers who bring in a dead python.

A pizza shop in Florida, USA, has gained attention for offering free pizza to customers who bring in a dead python. Photo captured from Facebook

According to a report by the New York Post on July 16 (local time), Dustin Crum, who runs a pizza restaurant in Everglades City, Florida, is hosting a unique event: customers who catch and bring in a Burmese python can exchange it for a pizza.

Crum, who calls himself a "swamp entrepreneur," said he got the idea from the ongoing "Florida Python Challenge." He stated, "I am the first person in the world to accept pythons as currency." The competition, which runs until July 19, brings together snake hunters from around the world to hunt pythons in the Everglades wetlands. The person who catches the most will receive a $10,000 (approximately KRW 14.9 million) prize. This initiative was launched to eradicate pythons, which were introduced from Southeast Asia and are now damaging Florida’s ecosystem.

Crum came up with the business idea because there was no effective way to dispose of large pythons, which can reach 5 meters in length and weigh up to 90 kilograms. He decided to offer a free large special pizza to anyone who brings in a "humanely" killed python. Crum said, "It's especially popular among local kids. They catch snakes but don’t really have a way to deal with them. Plus, they’re hungry and they want pizza."

Crum also makes use of the collected pythons in various ways. He produces oils, creams, and soaps for skin care using the fat from the snakes, and crafts accessories from their bones. This way, customers get a free meal, and Crum acquires valuable materials—making the event mutually beneficial.

Meanwhile, pythons that were introduced from Southeast Asia in the 1970s have exacerbated ecological disruption, as a single female can lay up to 70 eggs at a time. These large snakes eat native Florida animals or outcompete them for territory. Wildlife experts identify the pythons as one of the most challenging invasive species on Earth. To tackle the Burmese python problem, Florida has even used "robot rabbits" as bait for capturing and culling the snakes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.