KENDALL, Fla. – A local veterinarian wrangled a giant snake believed to be an invasive Burmese python over the weekend in an unusual spot: a marshy area near the Dolphin Mall.
Dr. Alvaro Larin received a call from his friend, Albert Pardo, when Pardo spotted the snake off Florida’s Turnpike near the mall on Saturday.
Pardo said his dog, Archie, first noticed the reptile.
“On the way back, [Archie] ran a little closer to it and he jumped up in the air. Like something startled him. We went back to investigate, and at that point the snake went into the water,” Pardo recalled. “And so I called my friend Dr. Larin, because he has experience catching snakes.”
On Sunday, Larin climbed into the marshy and cattail-filled patch of land and pulled the snake from the water after several minutes wrestling with it. Pardo’s son-in-law, Manny Cejas, also assisted.
The python spent the night in a cooler in Pardo’s travel trailer before Florida Fish and Wildlife officers took it away.
“They’re an invasive species. It’s better if they just get rid of them,” Pardo said. “I almost did drop the phone and jump in there.”