Marco Island police officers did not need a mulligan to get into Hideaway Beach Club in Marco Island, but they needed golf clubs.
On Dec. 21, officers responded to a private gated community near the Gulf of Mexico to remove a Burmese Python hidden in bushes.
The video shows officers and a security guard from the club removing the 9-foot long snake using golf clubs. They then place a cloth on the snake’s face before placing it in a carrier.
According to reports, the python has been handed over to a Florida Fish and Wildlife certified trapper.
What is the largest Burmese Python ever captured?
In July, the longest Python ever measured was captured near Naples. The Big Cypress National Preserve, in eastern Collier County, caught it in July 2023.
The snake measured at 19 feet by Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Naples.
What should you do if a Burmese Python is caught in Florida?
Permit holders, python-removal contractors, FWC, and South Florida Water Management District employees can transport live snakes to be euthanized at a future date. FCW states that everyone else must kill the snakes humanely at the capture site.
Florida does not protect reptiles that are not native. Animals must be killed humanely. As long as the state and local firearms laws are followed, and the animal immediately loses consciousness, it is permissible to shoot Burmese Pythons. According to FWC, the animal’s head should be destroyed using pithing in order to prevent it from regaining its consciousness.
How did the Burmese Python get to Florida?
The Burmese Python is native to Southeast Asia. According to USGS, many of the invasive species came to the U.S. due to their popularity as pets. These snakes were either intentionally or unintentionally released in South Florida.
Are Burmese Pythons poisonous?
The Burmese Python is non-venomous. Pythons swallow their prey after constricting it. No human deaths have been reported in Florida from Burmese Pythons.
Are Burmese Pythons Still a Problem in Florida and Everglades Everglades?
Burmese Pythons are found in southern Florida. They eat many different animals including mammals, birds, and reptiles. USGS reports that pythons are a major threat to native species in Florida, and they represent one of the world’s most challenging invasive species management problems.
What is the Florida Python Challenge
FWC’s annual Florida Python Challenge, which lasts for 10 days, is an attempt to eliminate invasive predators in South Florida’s eco-system. Participants can win cash prizes for different categories.
In 2023, 1,050 people removed 209 Burmese Pythons.
Is python meat edible? Are Burmese python eggs eaten by people?
FWC says that skin and meat of the Python can be sold. Burmese Pythons taken from the Everglades have been tested for mercury and were found to contain high levels. Mercury is a neurotoxin which can damage the reproductive system and impair brain function.
The FWC warned that while it is not illegal to consume python, neither the Florida Department of Health or the Florida Department of Agriculture has stated that the meat is safe.
Donna Kalil, python-hunter for the Water Management District in 2020, told The Palm Beach Post that she eats eggs and python several times a week and showed how she prepared it.
A article in the Miami Herald says:
Experts say that snakes are slowly expanding to the north and getting bigger.
Staff at the Marco Island Conservancy say that there is evidence of pythons on Marco Island dating back to before 2015. The club reports that it is unclear how the snakes reached the island, but there are records of pythons being found on Marco Island before 2015.
