A Florida trapper wrangled a python measuring 17 feet and 1 inch over the weekend in the Everglades near Fort Lauderdale, and the major catch was caught on video.
Matthew Kogo, a trapper for the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, found the snake in the Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area.
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In the video, Kogo keeps a firm grip on the python’s head as it wriggles. The caption explains how he lets the invasive snake tire itself out, so as not to put himself in a dangerous situation.
"You gotta let her work, as my Brazilian Ju-Jitsu friends say. Got to let them work," he jokes.
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In another video, he sits on the dirt with the animal curling around his leg.
“Spend some time with a serpent before snatching it up and pulling it out of the glades. This is quality time,” he says while catching his breath.
Humor aside, it may not be a coincidence that the crazy catch was made during hurricane season.
Experts told NBC affiliate WBBH that hotter temperatures, constant rainfall and humidity can make the invasive snakes more apparent in more residential areas.
"Pythons and other snakes are exothermic, so they prefer to be active when it's warm and humid. They're tropical snakes," said Dr. Andrew Durso, a wildlife biologist and professor at Florida Gulf Coast University.
But why do Burmese pythons need to be removed from the state by trappers like Kogo, and what makes them such a danger to our environment? In short, they’re invasive, enormous and insatiable.
For this reason, Florida holds its annual competition to remove the snakes from the Everglades. The Florida Python Challenge 2024 is officially accepting applicants for 2024.
Professional and novice hunters can compete for more than $25,000 in cash prizes.
The goal of the challenge is to spread awareness of the invasive species that wreaks havoc on native wildlife, even devouring alligators. Pythons have no natural predators in the Everglades. Learn more at myFWC.com/python.
