NAPLES, Fla. (WFLA) — The longest python ever measured in Florida was captured in Naples on Sunday after a group of friends discovered the snake in Big Cypress National Preserve.
Jake Waleri, 22, and his friends were out in the middle of the night when they encountered a python. He said they initially tried to catch it with a net, but when that technique didn’t work, he pounced.
Jake said he originally tried to approach the animal from behind and grab its head, but the snake went crazy. That’s when the snake tried to wrap around Jake and his friends and strangle them. Thankfully, they were able to pull the snake off.
“I think they got the true Florida experience,” Jake said.
In an effort to remove the invasive predator from the ecosystem, Jake said that it was an awesome feeling to make an impact on South Florida’s environment.
Jake texted his mom, Ana, photos of him with the snake, and a video of him throwing himself at the python, catching it himself.
“You wake up to a text, that’s a picture of them, you know, with the friends draped with the snake across their shoulders, and you think ‘well, that’s great,’ Ana said. “And then later the next morning, I got a video of Jake having to literally throw himself at the python and capture it by himself, and that’s when my heart stopped.”
The 19-foot, 125-pound female snake is a Burmese python who is in her late 20s. The previous record in Florida was 18 feet, 9 inches.
The python was measured by the Southwest Florida Conservancy. They confirmed it to be the longest snake ever captured in Florida. The organization will continue to conduct more tests to find out more about the snake.
