LELY RESORT, Fla. — Trappers captured a 10-foot-long Burmese python inside the Lakoya community of Lely Resort Wednesday afternoon in a homeowner’s backyard.
“Man, what a show they put on. I haven’t even seen bears yet… otters, nothing frightening. We don’t go out at night. I don’t let my cat out. I know they were there,” said Jane Spencer, who contacted wildlife trappers after spotting the 60-pound invasive species in her backyard.
The snake was found in a small retention pond, just about 20 feet away from the Spencer’s backyard.
“I call it freestyling. As we got close to it, it started to make a nosedive into the water, and at that point, we just went for it,” said Seth Brattain, the owner of Sleth Reptiles, an animal trapping and removal service that assists communities from Charlotte County to Marco Island.
“Couldn’t get the noose around his head, he was doing this number… and then all of a sudden he shot out into the lake. So we ditched the sticks, we jumped in and we’re both struggling trying to fight it. We pull it out. As soon as he was free, he turned around and went right at me. At the same time, I slipped and lost my grip. He’s right at my feet! I jumped back up here, grabbed my tongs, came back around, grabbed him by the head, and that was the end of it,” added Jesse Richards, a technician for Sleth Reptiles.
Burmese pythons are an invasive species and apex predator. The constrictors feed on nearly all living things and have reduced some mammal populations in the Florida Everglades by as much as 90%.
RELATED STORY: Father and son help capture second heaviest Burmese python in Florida
Both the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) and Sleth Reptiles recommend the predators be removed.
“They have a really bad impact on the wildlife in the area. Not only are they wiping out mammals, but the birds as well. If you let your cats and dogs out, they’re going to eat your pets, too,” added Brattain.
The 10-foot-long snake was removed from the property within minutes and dispatched on-site.