MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The Python Cowboy has made a record-breaking catch.
Conservationist Mike Kimmel, a contractor with the South Florida Water Management District and known as ‘Python Cowboy’ to his Instagram followers, bagged an enormous female python earlier this month.
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After official measurements was taken, the giant snake measured 17 feet and seven inches, and weighed in at a burly 135 lbs, which represented a SFWMD record.
Kimmel said he caught the snake in an Everglades spoil island in the Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area.
Pythons are invasive species and wreak havoc on the Florida Ecosystem. The South Florida Water Management District’s python elimination program has removed nearly 3,000 pythons to date.
To see video of the dramatic capture, click here.
Kimmel said he will be uploading video of the weigh-in and the python’s stomach contents in the coming days.