A giant Burmese python was recently found by captors in Florida, United States. The enormous reptile, weighing close to 90 kilograms, was discovered by conservationist Mike Elfenbein and his son Cole, 17, while the two were hunting for pythons at Big Cypress National Preserve on Friday. Once they spotted the monstrous snake, fellow hunters Trey Barber, Carter Gavlock and Holden Hunter also joined the two to catch it, as per CBS News.
"Officially 17'2" & 198 Pounds. This snake ate a lot of native wildlife to get this big. She ate her last meal! It took five of us to control her, glad to have removed her from our Everglades where she can no longer eat our wildlife," Mr Elfenbein wrote while sharing a series of images of the snake on Instagram.
Take a look below:
Speaking to CBS News, Mr Elfenbein described the snake as a "monster" following the discovery. "It was more than a snake," he said.
According to Mr Elfenbein, Mr Gavlock was the first to grab the snake by the tail. Then his 17-year-old son Cole and Mr Gavlock grabbed the head, and all five men tried to wrestle the python to the ground. Mr Elfenbein said the python quickly went from "flight to fight" and was a "formidable opponent".
The five men then sat on the python's back and wrestled with it for more than 45 minutes. The python, on the other hand, kept lifting its body off the ground "trying to constrict" its captors and continue to move the group out of the way. The python had "zero fear" of her captors, Mr Elfenbein told the outlet.
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Further, after finding the snake, Mr Elfenbein also called professional python hunter Amy Siewe. "If Mike is calling me right now, it has to be a python," Ms Siewe, who has professionally captured 530 pythons since 2019, said, adding that she then drove up to the preserve and saw "the fattest python I had ever seen". "It was hard to comprehend the size," she added.
According to People, the python was put down with a captive bolt gun - an approved euthanasia device - by Mr Siewe and then transported to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida where its measurements were taken.
Meanwhile, on Instagram, Mr Elfenbein's post has accumulated hundreds of likes and comments. "What a beautiful snake," wrote one user. "Thank goodness none of you were hurt or bitten during your attempt to capture her!" said another. "What a beast!!!!" commented a third user. "Holy moly that's a big one," added another.
