BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) — What started as a gator hunt took an unexpected twist when hunters encountered a massive Burmese python prowling through the Everglades over the weekend. The snake measured a whopping 12 feet in length and weighed approximately 80 pounds.
“I was freaking out. I don’t like any kind of snake, and I’ve never seen one that big,” said Carlee Strickland.
The group of hunters stumbled upon a massive serpent while they were on a gator hunting expedition when one of the hunters, Chuckie Burgess, seized the snake by its tail.
“Oh my god! You are like Florida man,” said one of the woman who accompanied the hunters.
Kaylee Stillwaggon and Strickland said it’s something they’ll never forget. Now they want other hunters to be aware.
“We walk through [tall] grass like this all the time, and we don’t ever look for anything like that,” said Stillwaggon.
This sighting is uncommon for Brevard County, as Burmese pythons are typically found further south. Experts suggest that these invasive pythons are expanding their territory due to food scarcity in South Florida.
“They’re marching north as we speak,” said Craig van der Heiden who’s the Wildlife Director for the Miccosukee Tribe. “A lot of times, people think that they can’t withstand the cold but they just go underground. These snakes can extend much further north than maybe we think.”
Earlier this year, hunters in the Everglades tried to get rid of the invasive species in the Florida Python Challenge.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, which keeps track of reported sightings, pythons are inching closer to Central Florida.
“There’s a lot of debate. Everybody’s debating, was it a pet? Are they really this far north? We don’t know just as much as anybody else,” Strickland added.
Florida Fish and Wildlife officials said they don’t know how this huge snake got to Brevard County, but everyone in this group is glad it’s gone.
“We were on an adrenaline high. We were pumped. It was a good day,” Strickland and Stillwaggon concluded.
As the python population rises in Florida, wildlife hunters are now taking extra precautions while traversing the grassy terrain to ensure their safety.
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