Florida python hunters bag 17-foot, 198-pound Burmese serpent that's one of ... trends now
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
