A snake catching competition has been won by retired police officer who said the prize money 'got his attention'.

Charlie Dachton, 61, caught a jaw-dropping 41 of the 223 non-native Burmese pythons removed in the ten day 2021 Florida Python Challenge.

Thanks to his trapping and grabbing skills, Charlie has landed the top cash prize of a cool $10,000 (£7,200).

The contest to find out who the best snake catcher in the region was introduced to help protect South Florida’s ecosystem from the invasive species which can grow up to 26 feet long.

Former policeman Charlie's mega tally dwarfed last winner's total of eight.

The 61-year-old from Southwest Ranches, Florida said: "They offered that big check this year. That got my attention."

Mr Dachton won collected the overall prize but special categories saw other winners in the novice and professional category for capturing the longest snake, OutdoorLife reports.

Novice python hunter, Brandon Call pocketed over £1,000 for catching the longest snake which stretched out to 15 feet, nine inches long.

Dusty Crum took home the same prize in as a professional despite his measuring four inches shorter than Brandon's find.

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Science teacher Mr Call, believes being deaf was key in helping him remove the biggest snake around because his other senses were sharpened in his hunt as a result.

Call said he was able to spot things that his competition would have likely overlooked.

Event organiser Carli Segelson told Fox5NY : "We changed the time of year [of the Python Challenge].

"We used to do this in the winter which is also a really good time to remove pythons as they sun themselves … but in the summer participants were able to get out and actually get nests and get pythons before they hatch and spread out and disperse and breed and eventually create even more pythons.”

Pythons are considered a dangerous pest in the Everglades as they prey on native birds, mammals, and other reptiles, disrupting the food chain as a result.

According to OutdoorLife more than 13,000 pythons have been caught in South Florida since 2000.

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