Two hunters in Florida have successfully wrangled the longest Burmese python ever captured in the state of Florida. How long was it? The monster measured in at 19 feet.
Jake Waleria and Steven Gauta seized the monster reptile in the Big Cypress National Preserve near Naples Monday night. Incredibly, though the snake measured 19 feet, it weighed only 125 pounds—a lot for a snake but perhaps not as much as one would expect a 19-footer to weigh.
Regardless, the snake was the longest Burmese python ever captured in the Sunshine State.
“It’s awesome to be able to make an impact on South Florida’s environment,” Waleri told the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. “We love this ecosystem and try to preserve it as much as possible.”
Predictably, wrangling the enormous snake was no small task.
“I knew we were capable of it but I didn’t know it would happen,” Waleri told USA Today. “Last year my cousin and I caught a snake that was almost 18 feet long, and we realized we could handle a snake of that size.”
Waleri added, “At first I just held onto the tail for dear life. And then one of my friends took a net and tried to pin its head down, and we quickly realized that was not a winning strategy. It’s the only snake that’s scared me so much that I didn’t know what to do.”
While Waleri has spared the Florida ecosystem of this 19-foot monster, the damage may have already been done. Biologist Ian Easterling said this snake may have already laid as many as 100 eggs.
The next big opportunity for Florida snake hunters is August 4 through August 13. Hunters can receive a $10,000 reward for a captured snake.
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