‘Absolute monster.’ Video shows trapper battle huge python on Florida Everglades road
A Florida trapper on his way home through Florida’s Everglades came upon “an absolute monster” python in the dark and video of their roadside fight has gotten more than 63,000 views on YouTube.
Invasive species hunter Mike Kimmel, known as the Python Cowboy on social media, estimated the invasive female at 16 feet and about 50 pounds.
He came to that conclusion after grabbing it by the tail and dragging it out of the swamp, the video shows.
“God dog it, she is strong,” he is heard saying in the video. “This is a big snake, guys.”
In the minutes that follow, Kimmel is seen attempting to control the angry snake as it hisses loudly and tries to whip around and bite him.
The snake encounter comes at the 6 minute mark in the video:
Kimmel eventually grabs it just below the jaws, and a close up reveals the head is roughly the same size as Kimmel’s hand.
Even then, the snake continues to defend itself by using its thick body to squeeze his arms and waist, the video shows.
“This thing could do some serious damage out here,” Kimmel says as he struggles to keep his grip.
“You can see it’s eaten very, very good. Opossums, otters, raccoons, alligators. I mean nothing stands a chance against this thing.”
The 10-minute video concludes with Kimmel dragging the snake to the road, where he later euthanized it off camera (with a gunshot). Humanely euthanizing pythons keeps with Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission guidelines for invasive species.
Hundreds of viewers have commented on the video since it was posted April 28, many of them lauding Kimmel’s work to help control the state’s growing python population. Others admitted they were horrified at the idea of fighting a snake that large in the dark.
“Didn’t realize my heart was pounding until it ended,” one commenter wrote on YouTube.
“Boy, that big of a snake (is) a gator eater!” another posted.
Though big, a 16-foot python does not count as a record in Florida. In June, a Burmese python nearly 18 feet long and weighing 215 pounds was captured in the Everglades, setting a weight record, according to The Conservancy of Southwest Florida.
Pythons are not native to Florida’s Everglades, where they prey on “24 species of mammals, 47 species of birds and 2 reptile species,” according to University of Florida data. They were introduced to the swamps when pet owners freed them or they escaped from captivity, experts say.
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