# Monster python killed in South Florida



## News Bot (May 21, 2013)

A 5.7 metre-long, 58 kilogram python has been killed by a snake handler in the US - but not before it began to wrap itself around his leg.






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*Published On:* 21-May-13 08:47 AM
*Source:* via NEWS.com.au

*Go to Original Article*


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## Justdragons (May 21, 2013)

Dunno how i feel about him killing it. pest or not.. If you can not handle a snake that big leave it alone..


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## harlemrain (May 21, 2013)

That's crazy! 18ft long and he just goes up to it's head and grabs it....experienced or not you should have at least one other person right next to you when dealing with something that large, then maybe killing it could have been avoided


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## Varanoidea (May 21, 2013)

Justdragons said:


> Dunno how i feel about him killing it. pest or not.. If you can not handle a snake that big leave it alone..



It's against the law not to remove it. Pythons are the cane toads of Florida.


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## B_STATS (May 21, 2013)

Pfft. Americans. Surprised he didn't use a gun. Americans love their guns.


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## moosenoose (May 21, 2013)

I'm sure if there was a salt water croc swimming around the Yarra here in Melb it'd be considered a pest....but you'd be stupid (like this bloke was) to get in there and try and remove it without having a clue :lol: This guy was lucky it didn't kill him.


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## B_STATS (May 21, 2013)

VenomOOse said:


> I'm sure if there was a salt water croc swimming around the Yarra here in Melb it'd be considered a pest....but you'd be stupid (like this bloke was) to get in there and try and remove it without having a clue :lol: This guy was lucky it didn't kill him.



Yeah. You wouldn't get some glory boy go and kill it with a knife in Australia.


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## Justdragons (May 21, 2013)

where is dundee when ya need him lol


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## JezJez (May 21, 2013)

I know they're considered a pest down in Florida, but what a shame he killed it. What was he thinking grabbing a wild snake that size by the head and by himself??


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## imported_Varanus (May 21, 2013)

VenomOOse said:


> I'm sure if there was a salt water croc swimming around the Yarra here in Melb it'd be considered a pest.....



Think a saltie would be the least of your worries in the Yarra Moose; do people even swim in it anymore (apart from the 3 eyed ones)?


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## MarlaChoodles (May 21, 2013)

Ugh, they are an invasive species here in the states but not nearly as bad as the media lets on that it is. Once winter hits even in the south a lot of them don't survive.
Fish and wildlife had a competition which was insane where untrained people went out python hunting. The amount of pythons actually found was quite small for the number of people who where searching for them if that say anything.
The burmese have been in Florida since the late 70s, it hasn't been until recently that they've made it into a big deal.
Kind of like pit bulls.
I wonder how many of the eastern indigo snakes suffered from this python hunt.


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## BeZaKa (May 21, 2013)

What a hero, killing the snake that was doing him no harm. I am a ware that they are a "pest" over there but it doesn't make it go down any better. And the Big Bad Snake started wrapping itself around his leg..... how dare the evil snake defend himself like that, doesn't he know that he should have rolled over, presented his belly and cut himself up into nicely shaped shoes and hand bags??? Rant over :x


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## ShaunMorelia (May 21, 2013)

BeZaKa said:


> ...I am a ware that they are a "pest" over there but it doesn't make it go down any better...


We have a "connection" with reptiles, where quite a few people do not. So this can cloud our judgement when it comes to them being classed a pest species and are currently trying to be erradicated.
Sure there are much better ways of going about it, but at least something is being done. (Although their wild horse issue is much more damaging than the exotic python issue in the Everglades, but that's another topic altogether.)


Another example of a pest reptile problem is in Guam, where Brown Tree Snakes migrated over along with the boats shipping timber for construction from Australia during one of the World Wars.
They are now such a problem there that the authorities are doing baited mouse drops to help errdicate them as they have come close or have already wiped out several species of animals native to that area.
Not only are they a danger to the local wildlife there, but they are a danger to mechanical issues with the local Aircraft at the airport.


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## MarlaChoodles (May 21, 2013)

Honestly the biggest threat to wildlife here is the common house cat but they don't dare put any restrictions on them....


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## BeZaKa (May 21, 2013)

My issue is with the vilification of animals in this case the Burmese. I have lately been watching documentaries where supposedly animal friendly nature shows throw the word "deadly" and "could easily kill a child/man" a little too liberally. I am relatively new to the reptile world and have always been wary of snakes but came into it with an open mind. I will be the first to admit that I am not necessarily a greenie ( not that there is anything wrong with being a greenie) however provoking an animal than wondering why it defended itself is a little beyond my scope of understanding. Again I understand that in Florida they are classed as a pest but I also recently watched a show where they burnt out a considerable area of land to get at some Burmese and after razing the area found none..... My question... how much habitat did they destroy, how many non invasive animals died because Burmese have been pegged as a pest now every Tom Dick and Harry is out gunning for them. Maybe they should control who can hunt them and how. Again I know Im on a rant but man this really peeves me.


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## dabigjhemzehh (May 21, 2013)

This is beyond comprehension.


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## MarlaChoodles (May 21, 2013)

BeZaka.. you nailed it right on the head.
There is a lot of endangered wildlife in Florida including the gopher tortoise and the Eastern Indigo Snake(which in my opinion is one of North Americas most amazing species), they are letting anyone hunt these pythons to gain a small reward and at what cost.


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## BeZaKa (May 21, 2013)

Thanks MarlaChoodles. This topic just boils my blood. Hard to bite my tongue when people go in and blindly destroy and kill.


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## Echiopsis (May 21, 2013)

I can't see the problem. Next you'll be telling me I shouldn't shoot feral cats and foxes....


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## B_STATS (May 21, 2013)

I heard Humans are a problem in Florida...


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## moosenoose (May 21, 2013)

imported_Varanus said:


> Think a saltie would be the least of your worries in the Yarra Moose; do people even swim in it anymore (apart from the 3 eyed ones)?



That's a point :lol: If it's not bullsharks it's usually the other thing that comes out of the back of a bull :lol:


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## Becca-Marie (May 21, 2013)

I agree with b_stats

Sent from my LG-P690f using Tapatalk 2


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## zulu (May 21, 2013)

Worth far more alive than dead one of that size ...


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## andynic07 (May 21, 2013)

I thought that the Nile monitor was the biggest threat to native wildlife in the Everglades.


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## borntobnude (May 21, 2013)

B_STATS said:


> I heard Humans are a problem in Florida...




Only the old ones :lol:
the young ones 
the drunk college ones
the spring break ones 
the American ones 
and the cuban ones 
(insert sarcasim face here )


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## chase77 (May 21, 2013)

Ok, he's experienced, he was trying to capture it (with other people) and it got out of hand. He had to kill it or he was in trouble. That's how I read it. Plus its exotic, so what is the problem here and why the yank bashing???


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## Dendrobates (May 21, 2013)

I can't see how this is different to killing a cat, fox, buffalo or donkey over here? They are all pest species, yet I wouldn't see anyone whinging on here if a large example of one of those species were killed.


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## Jeffa (May 21, 2013)

Agree, cant see a problem. A 5.7 metre pest would take a fair share of native food to obtain that size. I wonder if we learnt and disected exactly what it ate over the period of its life and showed the hippies, they might use logic and agree that in this circumstance that a good snake is a dead snake.


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## Varanoidea (May 21, 2013)

As much as I love reptiles I'm not going to be blinded to the fact that a pest is a pest. I didn't see many people complaining about people killing cane toads in a thread a while back...


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## BeZaKa (May 21, 2013)

The issue is not with that the snake which is an invasive species was killed it was the words "MONSTER SNAKE, " that I have an issue with. The general public does not differentiate an invasive species of Burmese snake they read MONSTER SNAKE WRAPPED AROUND MANS LEG. I am not a hippie/greenie/conservationist on my high horse. I am simply concerned that these Headline grabbing statements to sell newspapers cause they are having a slow news day can ruin my rights in keeping a non invasive animal. Apologies for all the upper case typing and rants today having a bad day :facepalm:


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## Cockney_Red (May 21, 2013)

sounds like cobblers to me....no pic...geezers big noting


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## MesseNoire (May 21, 2013)

"The FWC is grateful to him both for safely removing such a large Burmese python and for reporting its capture."

Bahahahah XD
Safely removing?


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## Hamalicious (May 21, 2013)

harlemrain said:


> That's crazy! 18ft long and he just goes up to it's head and grabs it....experienced or not you should have at least one other person right next to you when dealing with something that large, then maybe killing it could have been avoided




He did have people with him, it says that in the article, they are the ones who helped him. 

And i know everyone on here are reptile lovers, i am here for the same reason, but the snakes are a pest and are damaging the natural ecosystem. They need to be culled just like rabbits, foxes, toads and any other introduced species. We can't treat them any differently to any other animal just because they are our favourite


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## Trimeresurus (May 21, 2013)

Sorry guys but you're a bunch of hypocrites. 

When it comes to toads, cats, feral pigs, rabbits ect that are damaging our wild populations, some of you get up in arms to the extent of getting personal with others who don't believe they should be killed. 

Now along comes an animal you like, and not in our country and you're all 'save the pythons, they're innocent'. Yeah, it's unfortunate for them to have to die but they don't belong there, just like any other invasive species.


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## Jacknife (May 22, 2013)

imported_Varanus said:


> Think a saltie would be the least of your worries in the Yarra Moose; do people even swim in it anymore (apart from the 3 eyed ones)?



i've worked along the Yarra for many years and am still astounded by the amount of people I see jumping in there of their own free will.


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## BeZaKa (May 22, 2013)

Trimeresurus said:


> Sorry guys but you're a bunch of hypocrites.
> 
> When it comes to toads, cats, feral pigs, rabbits ect that are damaging our wild populations, some of you get up in arms to the extent of getting personal with others who don't believe they should be killed.
> 
> Now along comes an animal you like, and not in our country and you're all 'save the pythons, they're innocent'. Yeah, it's unfortunate for them to have to die but they don't belong there, just like any other invasive species.


Not quiet sure who this was a reference to however I wanted to clarify. I have NO ISSUES with removal and extermination of an invasive species. What I do have an issue with is the publicity given to this particular incident, wording such as MONSTER and started wrapping around his leg was simple fear mongering designed to make headlines, sell papers and make people go out and shoot/burn everything that moves. Anyhoo getting a little tired of this topic, not trying to change anyones opinion simply expressing my opinion in the hope that we wont see more stupid laws passed by the uneducated being educated by stuff like this being splashed all over the media.


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## mmafan555 (May 22, 2013)

They are a problem but not on the level of Cane Toads in Australia....or weasels in New Zealand. Like others have said Florida can get decently cold in the winter (alot more so than in South East Asia) and that helps to reduce numbers. Summer in Florida is very and present suitable climate through. I think they are hyped up in the media to be honest....They aren't that common.

Shame it had to be killed but it doesn't belong and thats the bottom line.


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## Umbral (May 22, 2013)

B_STATS said:


> Pfft. Americans. Surprised he didn't use a gun. Americans love their guns.


Pfft, Australians. Surprised you didn't have a VB in your hand and a ciggy in your mouth while driving home from the pub with your three kids in the back seat while you typed that up.
Australians love their stereotypes.

Sorry, but putting a whole country full of people in one group and looking at them in a certain way is one of the only things that really annoys me. Being a little more tolerant and a little less ignorant isn't a bad thing.


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## myusername (May 22, 2013)

Yeah I'm definitely on the kill side. 

I love reptiles of all types, but if something is an invasive species it should be killed to protect the native ones. If I found a burmese python (or corn snake etc for that matter) on one of my bush walks I would kill it (or possibly capture if practical). It would receive the same treatment as any cane toads or other invasive species that I come across. 

I hate cane toads (in Australia), but if I was in South America and came across one I wouldn't dare hurt it. To be honest I'd probably be thrilled to be able to appreciate one in its natural habitat.


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## ethapYtHn (May 22, 2013)

you shouldn't kill a snake no matter what


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## Burnerism (May 22, 2013)

But it was a monster snake...


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## Hamalicious (May 22, 2013)

ethapYtHn said:


> you shouldn't kill a snake no matter what



Can you elaborate on this argument? Why are they any different to any other animal?


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## moosenoose (May 22, 2013)

Why aren't they cooking them up? Burmese steak burgers


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## Umbral (May 22, 2013)

To be honest if they were a pest here and didn't have worms I might try one of those lol. I'm all for killing pests if they are causing damage to native wild life provided it is done in a humane manner.


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## andynic07 (May 22, 2013)

mmafan555 said:


> They are a problem but not on the level of Cane Toads in Australia....or weasels in New Zealand. Like others have said Florida can get decently cold in the winter (alot more so than in South East Asia) and that helps to reduce numbers. Summer in Florida is very and present suitable climate through. I think they are hyped up in the media to be honest....They aren't that common.
> 
> Shame it had to be killed but it doesn't belong and thats the bottom line.


Don't count out evolution to make the problem worse in the future.


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## B_STATS (May 22, 2013)

Umbral said:


> Pfft, Audtralians. Surprised you didn't have a VB in your hand and a ciggy in your mouth while driving home from the pub with your three kids in the back seat while you typed that up.
> Australians love their stereotypes.
> 
> Sorry, but putting a whole country full of people in one group and looking at them in a certain way is one of the only things that really annoys me. Being a little more tolerant and a little less ignorant isn't a bad thing.



Yeah nah. It's AMERICA! Lolz.


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## B_STATS (May 22, 2013)

Most alarming thing in the article to me was a knife wielding maniac stabbing things in the head...


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## JosPythons (May 23, 2013)

This is a good point IMO. The media has a tendancy to "sensationalise" things either to make it look "really good" or make it look "really bad". I do agree that "pest" species need to be cotrolled/eradicated but why can't it be done in a humane way. These "pests" all have their own habitat where they aren't considered pests but thanks to some idiot human intervention they are now in areas where they shouldn't be, whether it be for the control of other species eg: introduction of cane toads to Australia, or just the simple fact that someone wanted a different/exotic pet.....they are now suffering the consequences. I'm no greenie and I'm not saying "we shouldn't kill them, it's not right"......I just think that whether we lik or dislike a species (cane toads, foxes, feral cats, burmese pyhtons etc) we should at least make an effort to stop the brutal killing of these species and attempt to support a more appropriate/humane form of control/eradication........the media plays too big a part in influencing what we believe to be right or wrong.......just saying. 



BeZaKa said:


> Not quiet sure who this was a reference to however I wanted to clarify. I have NO ISSUES with removal and extermination of an invasive species. What I do have an issue with is the publicity given to this particular incident, wording such as MONSTER and started wrapping around his leg was simple fear mongering designed to make headlines, sell papers and make people go out and shoot/burn everything that moves. Anyhoo getting a little tired of this topic, not trying to change anyones opinion simply expressing my opinion in the hope that we wont see more stupid laws passed by the uneducated being educated by stuff like this being splashed all over the media.


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## Pythoninfinite (May 23, 2013)

I have no problem with the killing of this snake per se - it's an exotic and a big snake like this, if female (and it probably is), could add 60-80 more babies from just one clutch of eggs.

However, the big problem is that it feeds into the politically motivated US national clampdown on large constrictors, and stories like this just feed the effort to eliminate the keeping of large constrictors totally over time. Anti reptile pet lobbyists have influenced US politicians to put mechanisms in place which will just about put an end to the legal breeding and movement of these animals across state borders, and clearly this is intended to dry up the supply of big snakes over time - a fairly stealthy way of doing things, and a lot more clever than confiscating and destroying them over a shorter period of time. 

All this because idiot keepers can't be trusted not to release animals they don't want, and some careless individuals allow themselves or their kids to be killed or injured by these animals. So everyone else pays the price. Interestingly, bees are responsible for a relatively huge number more deaths per annum, in the US and here, than snakes will ever cause.

Jamie


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## BeZaKa (May 23, 2013)

Jospythons & Pythoninfinite. Exactly my point, couldn't agree more.


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