Florida dad caught a 202-pound Burmese python before it started dragging him toward a canal before his family was able to knock the giant snake down | World News
What starts out as a family outing to help clear Florida’s Everglades of invasive snakes quickly turns into a terrifying battle for survival. Carl Jackson believes he spotted a Burmese python about 12 feet long as he walked through a dirt road in Big Cypress National Preserve. But the moment he caught the snake, he realized he’d made a costly miscalculation. The giant reptile, later measured at 16 feet 10 inches and weighing 202 pounds, began dragging him through dense brush toward a nearby canal. As the python tried to coil him, Jackson’s wife and two children rushed in to help, turning the dangerous encounter into one of Florida’s most high-profile python captures.
How a Florida dad caught a Burmese python
The incident occurred on Jan. 13 during an official python hunt at Big Cypress National Preserve. Carl Jackson was accompanied by his wife, Tasha, and their children, Ryker, 20, and Jazzlyn, 16, who recently became certified to assist in hunting invasive pythons.Jackson initially estimated the snake was about 12 feet long. However, when he grabbed the back of its head, he discovered that it was much larger. Instead of attacking immediately, the giant Burmese python began pulling him through thick vegetation toward a canal. The snake also tried to wrap its powerful body around him as it dragged him along the ground, creating a potentially dangerous situation.
His family jumped into the water to save him
Seeing their father in trouble, Carl Jackson’s son Lake and daughter Jazlyn rushed to help. Lake held on to the python’s tail while Jazlyn helped stop the python from wrapping its father tighter. Meanwhile, his wife, Tasha Jackson, taped the snake’s mouth shut and later covered its eyes to make it easier for her family to control the reptile. The family worked together to subdue the giant snake. Jackson later recalled that he was only about a foot away from the canal before his wife and children helped contain the horrific struggle.
One of the largest pythons ever seen in Florida
It was only after the python was subdued that the family realized its extraordinary size. Officially measuring 16 feet, 10 inches long and weighing 202 pounds, the female Burmese python is the second-heaviest wild Burmese python ever recorded in Florida.The snake was so big that it almost filled the bed of the family’s pickup truck. Its size also underscores how established Burmese pythons are in southern Florida, where they are considered one of the most destructive invasive species in the region.
The biggest surprise was after being captured
While handling the python, the family discovered an even more noteworthy detail. The giant female carried about 200 eggs, meaning its removal prevented hundreds of potential hatchlings from entering Florida’s fragile Everglades ecosystem.The record-breaking female python, discovered in 2022, weighed 215 pounds and contained 122 developing eggs. Although this latest snake doesn’t hit the weight record, its reproductive potential may have exceeded it.
Why Burmese pythons are such a threat
Burmese pythons are native to Southeast Asia and are believed to have established a breeding population in Florida after escaping and releasing pet snakes and spreading throughout the Everglades. Over the past few decades, they have become one of the state’s most problematic invasive predators.These snakes feed on a variety of native wildlife, including mammals, birds and reptiles. Scientists have linked their expansion to dramatic declines in the populations of several mammals in parts of the Everglades, prompting state agencies to organize regular removal programs involving trained contractors and volunteers.
Big win for the Florida Everglades
While the encounter could have ended much differently, the Jackson family’s teamwork prevented a dangerous situation from turning into tragedy. Their capture not only resulted in one of the largest wild Burmese pythons ever recorded in Florida, it also took away a breeding female carrying about 200 eggs.For wildlife officials, that makes the dramatic struggle more than just an extraordinary story of survival. It also represents a major victory in the ongoing effort to protect Florida’s native wildlife from one of the most successful invasive predators.
