FORT MYERS, Fla. – A relaxing day at the pool took a terrifying turn near Fort Myers after a woman spotted a massive snake slithering close to her.
The woman said a 10-foot Burmese python was seen slithering in a pond about 20 feet away from her backyard.
The Collier County woman called python trappers for help and when they arrived, they said the reptile put up quite the fight.
“We couldn’t get the noose around the head,” said the trapper. “He was doing this number and then suddenly he shot out into the lake, so we literally ditched the sticks, jumped in, and had the back end like this much, and were both struggling doing this under trying to fight it.”
The trappers eventually wrangled the 60-pound reptile.
Their efforts help to prevent the invasive species from destroying the ecosystem.
Trappers told reporters that the python weighed around 60 pounds.
The state’s python removal program runs for two weeks in August. Participants compete for prizes, including $2,500 for capturing the most pythons and prevent them from destroying the Earth.
1,000 participants from 32 states came together to remove hundreds of Burmese pythons from South Florida.