17-Foot Python Slithers Onto Grounds of Animal Hospital Where It Was Dispatched with Extreme Prejudice

August 1, 2009 · Filed under life in Florida

Staff at the Okeechobee Veterinary Hospital routinely handle large animals. Along with pet dogs and cats, they treat hogs, horses, cows and bulls.

But the enormous critter that slithered uninvited onto the hospital grounds Thursday stunned everyone. It turned out to be one of the biggest Burmese pythons found roaming free in Florida.

The constrictor stretched 17 feet, two inches and measured 26 inches around at its thickest point. It weighed in at a staggering 207 pounds — four pounds more than the Miami Dolphins’ brawny No. 1 draft pick, Vontae Davis.

“It was a complete shock,” said Patty Harvey, a technician at the hospital, which is just north of Lake Okeechobee. “We see huge gators all the time being in Okeechobee, but you would never expect to see a snake this size.”

SNAKES SPREADING

Florida wildlife managers pointed to the find as the latest, and largest, evidence that the exotic snake, which has settled into the Everglades, is spreading across the state.

“The capture of this large python shows us how well these snakes can thrive in the wild and create a dangerous situation after illegal release or escape,” said Rodney Barreto, chairman of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “It also illustrates why the FWC is partnering with other agencies to implement python control measures in South Florida.” Read the rest here in the Miami Herald.

I’m not sure that a .22 would be big enough for me. I’d be out there with the 12-gauge shotgun shooting that sucker until the magazine was empty.

And no, I don’t give a damn if somebody thinks they’re nice, cute, playful little strangling pets.