A Florida police officer likely won’t forget Thursday night for a while — instead of wrangling a criminal, he had to catch a 3.81-metre long, or 12.5-foot, Burmese python in the Everglades.
Officer Joseph Cabrera with Pembroke Pines Police Department was called to a neighbourhood on the edge of the Everglades after the snake was seen slithering its way toward the Chapel Trail, found near U.S.-27.
The police department’s social media manager, Amanda Conwell, told the Miami Herald that Cabrera was the first to arrive and he “wrangled” the snake before being assisted by backup units.
READ MORE: Australian journalist doubles as snake handler as newsrooms overrun by animals
Cabrera then took the python to the department until a licensed python remover arrived.
Video of the wrangling was captured and posted on Twitter by police, showing the officer lifting the large reptile, though it does try to pull its tail away.
“Snakes are not an uncommon sight to Floridians, but Burmese pythons are an invasive species & a real threat to local wildlife, pets, and even children,” police said in a tweet on Friday morning.
It wasn’t Cabrera’s first snake encounter either, the Herald reports, having secured a 3.96-metre, or 13-foot long python after it was found by a group of local teenagers.
Comments