Florida family comes home to 16-foot, 300-pound Burmese python in their yard

A Florida family had to wrestle a massive snake that appeared in their backyard this week.

Zoflo Springs resident Aaron Brown was driving with his mom when he spotted the giant serpent on their property, according to Tampa Fox affiliate WTVT.

"I drove past it and said, 'That's a big snake.' I had my mother with me and she said, 'Well, get out and get it.' I said, 'You get out and get it. If that joker catches me, you can’t help me,'" said Brown to the station.

After realizing the invasive snake was too much for singular hand-to-hand combat, Brown called up his cousin, William Wilkinson, for help. The two, along with Wilkinson’s son, were then able to “wrangle,” "hook" and then eventually shoot the snake before it escaped into a culvert.

Afterwards, the family called up snake hunter celebrity Dusty Crum, who verified that it was 16 feet, 4 inches long and weighed 300 pounds, reports WTVT. Crum also added that it was pregnant with 100 eggs. It’s believed the snake traveled north from the Everglades, which is currently dealing with the non-native snakes.

Burmese pythons are credited with killing an abundance of local Florida wildlife. One of the largest species in the world, Burmese pythons have almost zero natural predators and eat just about anything, including birds, mammals and even alligators, says the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. It is believed the snakes became prevalent in Florida after being released or escaping from people who had them as pets.

Last October, a record-breaking 8-foot, 9-inch Burmese python was captured in the Everglades.


This post first appeared on our sister website Creative Loafing Tampa.

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