HIALEAH, Fla. (WSVN) — A South Florida man who was cleaning out his shed discovered a 100-pound Burmese python hiding in it.
The man notified police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's Anti-Venom unit responded to the home on West 60th Street and 12th Avenue. "Well, we received a call from Hialeah police referenced a large snake in a shed and it turned out to be a Burmese python," said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Lisa Wood.
According to police, the homeowner was cleaning out his shed at around 8:30 p.m. Sunday with a friend when the giant reptile came out of hiding from underneath some storage bins. Authorities worked to carefully remove the snake, needing the help of five crew members to lift it out. "This snake is probably about 13 feet long. We measured it a little over 12 with the tape measure, but there were curves," said Wood. "So, I'm thinking 13 feet and close to 100 pounds. It's a big snake."
Burmese pythons are a major concern in South Florida, though typically found in the Everglades where they have been released by pet owners and allowed to reproduce unchecked. It seems this snake was no exception. "An albino, so it's most likely somebody's escaped pet," said Wood.
In addition to a massive amount of snake skin left behind in the shed, crews also found skeletal remains of what appears to be a small cat. Unfortunately for neighbors with lost pets, animal rescue believes they may have found the culprit. "Speaking with the neighbors, apparently there's a couple of rabbits and a cat missing from the neighborhood recently," said Wood, "so the snake may be to blame for that."
That homeowner noted that one of his three cats had recently gone missing.
It does appear that the snake has been living in the shed for quite some time.
No word yet on what crews will do with the python.
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