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July 25, 2017
Award-Winning Chef Gordon Ramsay Helps Python Hunters Eliminate Three Snakes for an Upcoming Segment on His Live Series, THE F WORD WITH GORDON RAMSAY, on FOX
SFWMD Governing Board program has now eliminated 317 invasive Burmese Pythons to protect native Everglades wildlife
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Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and his son, Jack, pose with SFWMD Python Hunter Kyle Penniston and Jason Catarineau and two of the three Burmese pythons they eliminated on Saturday. Ramsay went on a python hunt with Penniston for an upcoming episode of his live show, THE F WORD WITH GORDON RAMSAY, on FOX. Click on image for larger version.
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Western Miami-Dade County, FL
- Emmy-nominated chef Gordon Ramsay recently joined the ongoing fight against invasive snakes being waged by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). Ramsay, host and judge of TV series such as HELL'S KITCHEN, MASTERCHEF and MASTERCHEF JUNIOR, joined Kyle Penniston, one of the most successful hunters of SFWMD Governing Board's Python Elimination Program, to kill three snakes along the banks of the L-28 Tieback Canal in western Miami-Dade County. Ramsay's participation was part of an upcoming segment for his latest series, THE F WORD WITH GORDON RAMSAY, which airs live Wednesdays (9-10 p.m. ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.
Their kills bring the total number of invasive pythons eliminated by the SFWMD Governing Board's Python Elimination program to 317 snakes in four months.
Ramsay and his son, Jack, assisted Penniston with all three kills. Ramsay then cooked a python into a special meal right on the levee, using a portable oven. The kills also brought the total number of pythons eliminated by Penniston, of Miami, to almost 30 snakes.
"It was a blast hunting with the Ramsay
s and they were very respectful of what we are doing here in the Everglades, fighting these invasive predators to save the ecosystem," said Penniston, who has hunted snakes for years but tasted python for the first time this weekend when he ate Ramsay's cooking. "What an honor to have my first taste of python cooked by Chef Ramsay."
In total, the snakes eliminated by the program so far would stretch more than 2,000 feet in length. The total weight of all the snakes eliminated so far in the SFWMD Python Elimination Program is more than two tons.
About the Program
The program began on March 25, 2017 when
professional python hunters were selected and given access to District-owned lands initially in Miami-Dade County for the pilot phase and later in Broward and Collier counties. These independent contractors are paid $8.10 per hour, up to eight hours daily, to hunt in the Everglades. Depending on the size of the snake presented, they can also receive additional payments of $50 for pythons measuring up to 4 feet and an extra $25 for each foot measured above 4 feet. An additional $200 is given for each eliminated python nest with eggs.
The invasive Burmese python, which breeds and multiplies quickly and has no challenger or predator in the Everglades ecosystem, has decimated native populations of rabbits, wrens and other wildlife that it eats. The more of these snakes that can be eliminated, especially the females and their eggs, the better chance future generations of native species can have to thrive in the Everglades ecosystem which Floridians have invested billions of dollars to restore.
About THE F WORD WITH GORDON RAMSAY
THE F WORD WITH GORDON RAMSAY is a bold new show from the award-winning chef and series host. Based on his hit U.K. series, each distinctive and fast-paced hour combines good food and good cooking with Ramsay's passion, energy and humor into a one-of-a-kind LIVE series.
On THE F WORD WITH GORDON RAMSAY, foodie families and friends from across the U.S. battle it out in an intense, high-stakes cook-off. In addition to impressing Ramsay, each team must win over the hearts and taste buds of the diners, celebrities and VIP guests they are serving. Each week one winner, decided by the diners, joins the "winners wall." At the end of ten episodes, Ramsay decides which two winning teams from across the season earned the chance to come back and compete in the finale for $100,000 and THE F WORD title.
Throughout each hour-long episode, Ramsay chats with surprise guests and VIPs in the dining room, shows viewers and competitors his skills with stylized cooking demos and appears weekly in unique field segments with fans, foodies and culinary experts.
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The South Florida Water Management District is a regional governmental agency that manages the water resources in the southern part of the state. It is the oldest and largest of the state's five water management districts. Our mission is to protect South Florida's water resources by balancing and improving flood control, water supply, water quality and natural systems.
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