'Dream come true': 19-foot-long Burmese Python captured by Floridan snake hunter
'Dream come true': 19-foot-long Burmese Python captured by Floridan snake hunter
In a horrifying incident, Jake Waleri, a Naples-based hunter took hold of one of the longest and heaviest Burmese Pythons with help from the Glades boys, a group of Python hunters. A USA Today report states that the snake measured 19 feet in length and weighed over 125 pounds or 56.6 kg. The snake captured by the Ohio State University student is being examined at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida in Naples. As of October 2020, a Burmese python measuring 18 feet and nine inches was caught in Florida.
The video was shared by a 22-year-old student on Instagram who called the catch ‘a dream come true’. The clip shows the snake, close to the length of an adult giraffe, pouncing while attempting an escape from the scene. It lifts towards Waleri as he drags it forcibly down the road by its tail. Minutes pass with the duo wrestling on the road before several others join in to accomplish the mission. The python was caught in Eastern Collier County’s Big Cypress National Preserve.
The Glades boys tagged Amy Siewe, popularly known as the snake huntress and thanked her for assistance.
Check out the video:
The video garnered over 6,200 likes.
Check out some of the comments below:
A professional Python hunter, Kev Pav commented: “From the old record holder to the new, I’m happy to pass the torch to you all.”
In response, the Glades Boys replied: “Thank you Kevin. That means a lot coming from you.”
Another user asked: “Can you please share the video of tapping the Python’s mouth? We would really like to see it.”
“So intense!” wrote another.
One user commended the boys for their accomplishments. Calling them brave, he said: “Oh my god, no. I’d be running for my life if I saw that thing.”
‘Insane’ and ‘chaotic’
In an interview with USA Today, the hunter said that the process of catching the 19-foot-long mighty python was ‘insane and very chaotic.’ He added: “At first I just held on to the tail for dear life. And then one of my friends took a net and tried to pin its head down, and we quickly realized that was not a winning strategy.”
“It’s the only snake that’s scared me so much that I didn’t know what to do,” said Waleri, who is a hunter with Glades Boys Python Adventures and has been in the business since 2020.
Burmese pythons have left an indelible mark south of Lake Okeechobee since they first made their appearance decades ago. The beasts have been known to wreak havoc on local wildlife and as per scientists they have led to the extinction of most fur-bearing animals in the historic Everglades.
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