Burmese 'Monster' Python Weighing 198 Lbs. Captured in Florida

The snake was found by five hunters in the Big Cypress National Preserve on Friday

198-lb. Kidnappers found a Burmese python in Florida, according to reports.

The reptile was discovered by conservationist Mike Elfenbein and his son Cole, 17, while the two were python hunting at Big Cypress National Preserve on Friday, CBS News and Field & Stream reported.

Elfenbein, 45, described the python as a “monster” to CBS News after the discovery. “He was more than a snake,” he said.

Three other hunters – Trey Barber, Carter Gavlock and Holden Hunter – also spotted the python at the same time as Elfenbein and joined him and his son in fighting the snake. The group fought the snake for more than 45 minutes.

Mike Elfenbein spotted the python at the preserve with his teenage son.

Mike Elfenbein/Facebook

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“We were strangers,” Elfenbein told CBS News. “But the five of us knew we had to catch this thing.”

While speaking with Field & Stream, the conservator said that “it took everything we had to keep her pinned.” He added: “Even with five guys on her, she managed to get us off the ground and keep moving.”

According to Elfenbein, the python had “zero fear” and went into “fight or flight” mode after they grabbed the reptile, CBS News reported. He told the outlet that he was “trying to narrow down” the group and “keep moving us out of the way” as they sat on their backs.

The snake is the second heaviest caught in Florida.

Mike Elfenbein/Facebook

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Elfenbein said catching the 17-foot, 2-inch python was a “new personal best” in a post shared on Facebook. He also shared his theory that the snake got so big after eating a lot of wildlife in the area.

“She ate her last meal! It took five of us to control her, we’re glad we got her out of our Everglades where she can no longer eat our wildlife,” Elfenbein wrote in his post.

After finding the snake, Elfenbein called professional python hunter Amy Siewe, CBS News reported.

“If Mike’s calling me now, it’s got to be a python,” recalled Siewe, who has professionally caught 530 pythons since 2019, telling the paper that she then drove to the reserve and saw “the fattest python I’ve ever seen.”

She added: “It was hard to grasp the magnitude.”

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Siewe killed the python with a euthanasia gun — an approved euthanasia device approved by the American Veterinary Association — and then transported it to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida where it was measured.

Ian Bartoszek, head of research at the conservatory, confirmed to CBS News that the python is one of the hardest to catch in Florida. The heaviest weighed 125 pounds and was 19 feet long, while Field & Stream reported that an 18-footer was also caught in August.

“We often see deer remains inside pythons,” he said. “Their impact on the food web of the Greater Everglades ecosystem cannot be underestimated.” Bartoszek called the pythons the “big game hunters” of the state.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education