A Florida snake hunter had his work cut ot for him during a recent catch. His routine day in the Everglades turned into something that resembled closer to a low-budget action movie. The reptile catcher was dragged 15 feet by a 202-pound python.
Python hunter Carl Jackson was working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) on Jan. 13. That's when he went from hunter to snake wrestler. He came face to face with a 202-pound, 16 feet, 10 inches Burmese python. It wrapped around his leg and dragged him through several ant hills.
"It was like riding a slow horse," Jackson told the Naple News. "It was insane."
Fortunately, the snake hunter wasn't alone. He had decided to take on the python with his family. So his wife, Tasha, and their two kids — Ryker, 20, and Jazzyln, 16 — came rushing to his aid. They managed to free Jackson from the python's clutches. Ultimately, as a family, they subdued and killed the python.
Snake Hunter Dragged By Python
"We got the snake bag and couldn't get half of her in the bag, Jackson said. "Last year, when I got the 17-foot, 10-inch snake, I could put that in my bag. This snake was only 16-feet, 10-inches. It was smaller but three to four times around. It has a girth of 26 inches and that is unheard of."
The snake hunter and his family had only recently been certified to assist with removing the invasive pythons. Jackson's snake became the second heaviest Burmese python ever captured in the state of Florida. The current record is a 215-pounder caught back in 2022. In addition to capturing and killing the python, the family also destroyed 200 of its eggs.
That was the real victory in the battle to stop the invasive snake species in the Everglades.
Jackson explained, "That means more to me because that is 200 potential deer and native animal eaters [that were eliminated]." They also later found another snake as well.
"We got to the spot where we caught her and caught a 10-foot, 1-inch male as well," Jackson said.
