THE NIGHT STARTED LIKE SO MANY OTHERS. I used to be cruising down U.S. 41 in my pickup truck, in search of snakes. I stood within the mattress, shining a highlight on the pavement, whereas my buddy Joe Sewell drove the truck. Along for the experience had been just a few of my classmates who had been visiting my home city of Naples whereas we had been on summer time break from our lessons at Ohio State. They’re all new to python looking, and I used to be displaying them the ropes.
We had been within the coronary heart of south Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve, the place invasive Burmese pythons are devastating the ecosystem by wiping out native species like whitetail deer and swamp rabbits. I’ve been looking them laborious there for the higher a part of two years—with fairly good outcomes, too. Last yr, I made nationwide information after I killed an 18-footer.
Anyway, on this evening I’d simply aimed the sunshine a pair hundred yards up the street after I noticed a snake’s head inching onto the pavement. At first, I figured it was perhaps 10-feet lengthy—12 tops. But it saved slithering onto the street till it was now not hid by the tall grass, and that’s after I realized it was the most important python I’d ever seen—most likely a record-setter.
I wanted to get this snake.
“Pure Chaos”
I dropped the tailgate, jumped out of the truck mattress, and approached rigorously from behind. Usually I can walk proper up on these snakes. As lengthy as I maintain the highlight shining of their eyes, they’re not going to maneuver. This python was totally different. As I moved towards the snake, it began to slither away, looking for an escape route. The factor was transferring so erratically that I couldn’t go in for the pinnacle like I often do—until I wished to get bitten. Which, after all, I didn’t. Because if a python that huge places a chunk on you and, God forbid, wraps you up, chances are high good it’ll suffocate you.
Pretty quickly, the scene was pure chaos. The complete crew was screaming over the sight of this large snake that was additionally freaking out and bolting for the opposite aspect of the street, attempting to dip into the canal so it might get away.
That’s after I determined to seize the tail. I gripped with each palms and held on tight as I might whereas it dragged me all around the street.
“Hissing Like Crazy”
It’s laborious to grasp how highly effective and harmful a python of that measurement actually is till you’re gripping it by the tail. I used to be attempting to manhandle it as greatest I might whereas dodging strikes from its tooth on the similar time. My aim was to maintain the snake out of the canal since pythons can transfer quite a bit quicker within the water. A whole lot of the larger snakes prefer to journey up and down the canals within the Everglades, utilizing them as a sort of transport system. I knew that if it bought into the canal, then the most important python I’d ever seen could be gone for good.
As I used to be wrestling with the python by its tail, attempting my greatest to not get bit, Joe was in command of distracting it and conserving it on the street. To do this, he needed to stand instantly in entrance of the snake. I instructed him to pin its head down with a protracted web I had within the truck, nevertheless it was too sturdy for that trick. It dodged the online over and over and saved darting towards the canal. By now, the snake was hissing like loopy. It’s an intimidating sound—the sort of noise you’d anticipate a snake like that to make, however louder and extra excessive pitched. Joe tried to maneuver in nearer with the online, and that’s when it struck at his leg. It missed him by an inch, and he backed up screaming.
“Those Teeth Rip Right Through Your Skin”
I’ve been at this sufficient to know that when pythons do chunk, you’ve to withstand the urge to tug away. Like most constrictor snakes, Burmese pythons have backward-facing tooth. If you draw back after a chunk, these tooth rip proper by way of your pores and skin—and it hurts like hell. I as soon as had my thumb sliced extensive open by a 6-footer as I used to be pulling away to attempt to keep away from the strike. Now I do know: If you’re about to get bit by a python, simply let it occur. Easier mentioned than accomplished.
After about three and a half minutes wrestling the snake by its tail, I grabbed its midsection with each palms. It mustered one final strike that got here dangerously near getting my arm. But the strike left its head uncovered. I shot my arms down and wrapped my palms round its neck. I used to be so drained from the battle that I collapsed on high of the snake. I attempted to regulate it, nevertheless it nonetheless had lots of energy, and it started coiling its physique round my shoulder.
“The Snake Was Finally Subdued…”
It was about that point that my good friend Amy Siewe drove up. She’s a well known python hunter with a ton of expertise chasing snakes by way of the Everglades. It was a complete coincidence, however we had been fortunate to have her on the scene. She bought out of her truck and took management of the scenario.
Amy observed instantly that the python was beginning to wrap me up. She ran over and yanked it off my left shoulder.
Then she used a roll {of electrical} tape to seal its jaws shut. With the jaws locked up, it now not posed a lot of a menace, and it was operating low on power reserves at this level. The snake was lastly subdued, and we had been ecstatic. I thanked Amy—and all of us began celebrating.
Amy supplied to allow us to use her bolt gun to kill the snake, however we by no means wanted it. As we had been hoisting it up by the pinnacle for our final photograph, its neck gave out. Pythons are sturdy animals, however the huge ones aren’t constructed to face up to their very own physique weight. It was an unintentional dispatch, nevertheless it was fortunate as a result of now I can protect the snake’s head for a cranium mount.
Later that evening, after measuring the snake at 19-feet lengthy and weighing it in at 125 kilos, I knew it will set an all-time size file, however I couldn’t discover anyone at Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that was prepared to file it. Luckily, my contact on the Conservancy of Southwest Florida was after listening to my story over the telephone. I took it over there the following morning, they usually took down the official measurements and confirmed what I already knew: It was the longest Burmese python ever captured within the Florida Everglades.
Looking again, I can’t consider how fortunate we had been to identify that snake because it poked its head out onto the street that evening—and I’m grateful that I bought to share the expertise with such a fantastic group of buddies. I doubt I’ll ever high it, however I do know there are larger snakes on the market. And I’m not going to cease looking them anytime quickly.
