Hunter Rescued After Large Python drags Him for 15 Feet Over Ant Hill

In Florida, a professional python hunter required the help of family members after being ensnared by a colossal Burmese python. With their assistance, he was able to finally subdue the snake, which has been recorded as the second heaviest python caught in Florida.

Carl Jackson, a contracted python hunter for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, was traversing Turner River Road within Big Cypress National Park on the afternoon of January 13 when he spotted tracks belonging to a Burmese python that overlapped his own truck tracks.

Initially, these tracks appeared to be from a smaller snake, perhaps around eight feet long at most. However, upon venturing into the bushes, Jackson discovered a much larger head than anticipated. He began to wrestle with the enormous python, which pulled him across a red and black ant hill.

“It was akin to riding a slow horse,” remarked Jackson, 43, in an interview with Naples Daily News. “The experience was unbelievable.”

At several points during the struggle, Jackson relied on his team to help untangle the massive snake from around him.

His team consisted of his wife, Tasha, alongside their adopted children, Ryker Young, 20, and Jazzlyn Bateman, 16, who had just become certified assistants in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation’s Python Action Team the previous day.

Ultimately, the python was assessed at 202 pounds, making it the second heaviest snake ever caught in Florida; the current record stands at 215 pounds captured in 2022.

The python measured 16 feet and 10 inches long and was found to be carrying 200 eggs.