Snake Hunters Nab Largest Burmese Python Ever Found in Everglades
Two Florida hunters broke a state record on Friday, October 2, removing the largest Burmese python to date from an Everglades swamp.
Ryan Ausburn and Kevin Pavlidis pulled the 18 foot, 9 1/4 inch Burmese python out of the water. Ausburn can be seen wrestling the snake and holding the upper part of its body.
Pavlidis helped Ausburn carry the snake to a dirt road and untangled his partner when the massive reptile began to coil around him.
Photographer Angela Scafuro filmed the eye-popping capture. Speaking to Storyful, Scafuro said there was “a rush of adrenaline” to seeing the men catch the python. She added that she was surprised when her video got 10,000 views online.
Florida Fish and Wildlife, which encourages killing pythons, confirmed that the 104-pound snake broke the state record.
“The removal of this female snake is a triumph for our native wildlife and habitats … working toward our goal of removing nonnative pythons,” the agency said.
The Burmese python is an invasive species that has been destroying the native wildlife populations in the Everglades.
According to local media, Ausburn, who makes a living catching pythons and making products with the skins, said he has probably captured a couple hundred snakes since joining the Water Management District python elimination program a couple of years ago. He was hired last year to make footballs made of python skin for the Miami Super Bowl. Credit: Angela Scafuro via Storyful
