It took the combined strength of five Florida python hunters to subdue a colossal Burmese python – as the species threatens native wildlife and continues to disrupt ecosystems within the state.
Mike Elfenbein, Carter Gavlock and three other hunters – including Elfenbein’s teenage son, Cole – caught the python at Big Cypress National Preserve on Friday night.
At 17 feet, two inches long and 198 pounds, she was the second-heaviest reported to be caught in the state.
The remains of a deer, including its hooves, were found in her stomach.
‘A new personal best,’ Elfenbein proclaimed on Facebook. ‘This snake ate a lot of native wildlife to get this big. She ate her last meal!’
A team of five, including conservationist Mike Elfenbein and his teenage son, subdued a massive python at Big Cypress National Preserve Friday night
Elfenbein and his son, Cole, were part of the team that took down the 17-foot, two-inch snake, which weighed just under 200 pounds
Burmese pythons are not only one of the largest snakes in the world, but highly invasive and pose a threat to native species in Florida
The catch was the culmination of a team effort including Amy Siewe, a real estate broker-turned hunter who was called to euthanize the animal.
‘She killed so many of our animals. Never again,’ Siewe wrote on Facebook.
The self-dubbed ‘Python Huntress’ caught a 17-foot snake herself back in 2020 – an achievement that seems to be a rite of passage.
Elfenbein expressed his support for the group that helped subdue the slithery giant.
‘We were definitely not prepared for a python this big,’ he wrote. ‘Until you’ve got your hands around one like this it’s hard to comprehend.’
The longtime sportsman is the Executive Director of the Cypress chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, a national conservation organization.
Elfenbein himself was in Washington, D.C. last year to discuss restoration initiatives for the Everglades.
‘Our dedicated Executive Director and his son had an intense encounter last night in Big Cypress National Preserve,’ the nonprofit posted on social media.
‘This encounter is a stark reminder of the relentless battle against invasive species that threatens our native wildlife populations. We are committed to managing these invaders to protect our precious natural habitats.’
Friday night’s catch was not enough to usurp the record-setting 215-pound python caught last June.
That snake weighed 215 pounds and was captured by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, an environmental group in Naples that has been fighting to remove invasive species for a decade.
Amy Siewe, who bills herself as the ‘Python Huntress,’ was called to euthanize the animal. Burmese pythons must be killed onsite, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission
Elfenbein is the Executive Director of the Cypress chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, a conservation nonprofit
Deer bone fragments and hooves were found in the serpent’s stomach once it was skinned
The species is directly responsible for the decline of several species across Florida, including raccoons and opossums
Elfenbein continues to advocate for the protection of native habitat, and travelled to D.C. last year to discuss restoration initiatives for the Everglades
While Florida is home to all sorts of outlandish animals, this particular python – one of the largest in the world – is not native to the state.
While it is not venomous and poses no immediate physical threat to humans, it preys on native animals including raccoons and opossums.
Mammals whose populations have declined most significantly are regularly found in the stomachs of pythons removed from Everglades National Park and elsewhere.
The snakes have established a breeding population in South Florida and compete with native wildlife for food, triggering population declines.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, the animals must be ‘humanely killed onsite’ at the time of capture.
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