iStockphoto / girishacf
A group of alligator hunters in Central Florida captured a 12 foot Burmese python during a trip that also resulted in the capture of a massive alligator.
Kaylee Stillwaggon, Carlee Strickland, Chuckie Burgess, and Jay Strickland were in the T.M. Goodwin Waterfowl Management Area which is just inland from Sebastian Inlet in Central Florida when they spotted the massive snake. Upon spotting the 12-footer, Chuckie hopped the fence and grabbed the snake who was none too pleased about being restrained.
Strickland followed closely behind and was able to subdue and kill the massive invasive Burmese python before it hurt anyone or got away and wreaked havoc on the local fauna. They shared these photos of the catch on Facebook:
Carlee Strickland told Fox 35 Orlando “I was freaking out. I don’t like any kind of snake, and I’ve never seen one that big.” The short news segment features footage of the gator hunters hopping the fence and grabbing onto the invasive 12 foot snake so that it couldn’t get away.
Invasive Burmese Pythons Are Moving Further North In Florida
Typically, these invasive Burmese pythons are found in Southwest Florida. They are primarily concentrated to the areas in and around The Everglades National Park and almost all of them are found south of Lake Okeechobee. Here’s how far away this snake was caught:
Google Maps
Things are changing… This was the hottest Summer in recorded history in Florida and a study from two years back determined that Florida will move from a Sub-Tropical to a Tropical climate due to climate change.
Weather is just one of the contributing factors allowing these invasive pythons to push north. Another massive factor is they have near-perfect camouflage for various parts of Florida and are near-impossible to find unless they’re spotted out in the open.
Hunting for them in the Everglades backcountry requires thinking outside of the box and employing tactics like using highly trained dogs to root out nests or GPS tracking collars on the snake’s potential prey.
Make no mistake about it, the war to push back invading Burmese pythons is not one that we are winning at the moment. Only 209 pythons were successfully culled from the wild in the 2023 Florida Python Challenge.
That might sound good unless you clicked that article above that said the Python Cowboy recently found a snake with 60 eggs in its belly. A 19-footer was also caught in July!
So for anyone who thinks it was inhumane to kill this 12ft python found WAY NORTH of the Everglades, it was the best decision for conservation of both Florida wildlife and the habitats.