FWC trapper catches 17-foot Burmese python in Florida Everglades

The invasive snake was captured at the Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area west of Fort Lauderdale.

The invasive snake was captured at the Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area west of Fort Lauderdale.

>> THIS IS A NOT FOR ME, BUT ANOTHER BURMESE PYTHON IS OUT OF SYSTEM. LOOKS LIKE HE'S WORKING TO THIS FWC TRAPPER WAS ABLE TO WRANGLE A 17 FOOT SNAKE OVER THE WEEKEND IN THE EVERGLADES. >> NBC TWO'S DRYING OUR BIGGEST SPEAKING WITH EXPERTS ON WHY IT IS SO CRUCIAL TO GET THESE INVASIVE SNAKES OUT. >> GOT A LETTER. THAT'S WHY THIS FRIENDS SAY. >> YOUR DEEP IN THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT LOOKING THROUGH AN IPHONE LENS AS A 17 FOOT ONE INCH BURMESE PYTHON FIGHTS FOR ITS LIFE. >> THE OFFICE WHICH ENHANCE. AND DON'T HIRE MYSELF ALL. BUT LET'S MAKE IT HIGHER. >> THE MAN GIVING THE APEX PREDATOR. IT'S FIRST TASTE OF WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE PREY. IS MATTHEW COLE GO FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE PLACE ON TRAPPER. THE JUST SNAGGED THE INVASIVE SNAKE OVER THE WEEKEND. HE CALLED IT IN THE FRANCIS AS TAYLOR WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA WEST OF FORT LAUDERDALE. >> EXPERTS >> WE SPOKE WITH TELL US THE WEATHER DURING HURRICANE SEASON HAS A MASSIVE IMPACT ON THE AMOUNT OF BURMESE PYTHON SIGHTINGS WE SEE HERE IN PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES BETWEEN CONSTANT HUMIDITY, HEAVY RAINFALL AND THE SUMMER HEAT. THESE APEX PREDATORS ARE GOING TO BE ON THE MOVE. SO THEY PREFER TO BE ACTIVE. >> WHEN IT'S WARM AND AND THE THEIR TROPICAL SNAKES. >> DOCTOR ANDREW DURSO STUDIES THE STAKES AT FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY. HE TELLS US THERE'S A REASON WHY THE PYTHON CHALLENGE IS HELD ANNUALLY EVERY SUMMER. THE SNEAKY SNAKES THAT EAT EVERYTHING FROM DEAR TO GATORS, TYPICALLY MIGRATE FROM THE WILDERNESS INTO MORE POPULATED AREAS LIKE COLLIER AND BROWARD. WHEN IT'S HOT AND WET NIGHT, TIME TEMPERATURES OVER 75 DEGREES FOR GOOD RULE OF THUMB FOR NOCTURNAL. A FUN ACTIVITY IN OUR NECK OF THE WOODS. BURMESE PYTHONS HAVE BEEN SPOTTED AS FAR NORTH AS CHARLOTTE COUNTY. AND IF YOU COME ACROSS ONE, THAT'S MOST LIKELY BEST TO KEEP YOUR DISTANCE AND CALL FWC UNLESS, OF COURSE YOU HAVE THE EXPERIENCE GO. >> IT'S IMPORTANT TO TAKE THE TIME. ENJOY THE MOMENT. SPENT SOME TIME WITH THE SURFACE. BEFORE SNATCHING UP AND PULLING IT OUT THIS IS A QUOTE. >> REPORTING LOCAL IN T

FWC trapper catches 17-foot Burmese python in Florida Everglades

The invasive snake was captured at the Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area west of Fort Lauderdale.

A Florida Fish & Wildlife python trapper had the catch of a lifetime over the weekend in a wildlife area near Fort Lauderdale. "You gotta let her work, as my Brazilian Ju-Jitsu friends say. Got to let them work," joked Matthew Kogo said, jokingly, as he attempted to subdue the snake. Kogo, a trapper for the state, wrangled a 17-foot, 1-inch apex predator along the Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area."This is quality time," he said with a laugh. With the 2024 Florida Python Challenge to begin this summer, experts warn that hotter temperatures, constant rainfall, and humidity can make the invasive snakes more apparent in more residential areas. Burmese Pythons are invasive and wreak havoc on natural wildlife in the Florida Everglades. The snakes eat everything from deer to alligators and have reduced some mammal populations by as much as 90%, according to FWC. "Pythons and other snakes are exothermic, so they prefer to be active when it's warm and humid. They're tropical snakes," said Dr. Andrew Durso, a wildlife biologist and professor at Florida Gulf Coast University. "Nighttime temperatures are over 75 degrees. It's probably a good rule of thumb for nocturnal Python activity," Durso said. If you come in contact with a Burmese Python, contact the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission. You can report a sighting here.

, Fla. —

A Florida Fish & Wildlife python trapper had the catch of a lifetime over the weekend in a wildlife area near Fort Lauderdale.

"You gotta let her work, as my Brazilian Ju-Jitsu friends say. Got to let them work," joked Matthew Kogo said, jokingly, as he attempted to subdue the snake.

Kogo, a trapper for the state, wrangled a 17-foot, 1-inch apex predator along the Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area.

"This is quality time," he said with a laugh.

With the 2024 Florida Python Challenge to begin this summer, experts warn that hotter temperatures, constant rainfall, and humidity can make the invasive snakes more apparent in more residential areas.

Burmese Pythons are invasive and wreak havoc on natural wildlife in the Florida Everglades. The snakes eat everything from deer to alligators and have reduced some mammal populations by as much as 90%, according to FWC.

"Pythons and other snakes are exothermic, so they prefer to be active when it's warm and humid. They're tropical snakes," said Dr. Andrew Durso, a wildlife biologist and professor at Florida Gulf Coast University.

"Nighttime temperatures are over 75 degrees. It's probably a good rule of thumb for nocturnal Python activity," Durso said.

If you come in contact with a Burmese Python, contact the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission. You can report a sighting here.

FWC trapper catches 17-foot Burmese python in Florida Everglades

The invasive snake was captured at the Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area west of Fort Lauderdale.

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