Dustin “Swampeprenuer” Crum, a professional python hunter and owner of Wildman’s Pizza, Pasta & Pythons, has made headlines for accepting humanely dispatched Burmese pythons as currency. Any hunter who brings in a python can walk out with a free large specialty pizza of their choice.
Crum runs a zero-waste operation with the scaly trade-ins. He renders the python fat into body creams and soaps, while crafting custom jewelry from the bones and skin. While he occasionally tosses sautéed python or iguana onto pizzas for adventurous patrons, health code rules prevent him from legally selling snake meat because it isn’t processed by a licensed commercial butcher. Instead, he gives those experimental, gamey slices away for free to willing taste-testers.
The unconventional deal serves as an unofficial community hub for the annual Florida Python Challenge, a state-sponsored tournament offering a $10,000 grand prize to the hunter who removes the most constrictors.
Experts estimate that up to 300,000 Burmese pythons now roam the state. Since invading the Everglades in the 1970s, these rapid-breeding apex predators have wiped out over 90% of local raccoons and opossums, making the infestation one of the most severe ecological crises on Earth.
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