Massive 14-Foot Python Captured in Florida

Florida wildlife officials marked a milestone Tuesday, with the capture of a massive 14-foot Burmese python. The 70-pound snake is the 50th captured since a program to curb the invasive species launched in March. Just 25 hunters are licensed as a part of the South Florida Water Management python elimination program. Experts say it’s a necessary hunt of an invasive species that is destroying the ecosystem. Although it is not known for sure just how invasive the python is, estimates range from 10,000 pythons in the everglades to 100,000. Hunter Dusty Crum pulled the milestone snake from the everglades, after quite a battle. The hunts are paying off for the hunters too, who earn $50 for the first four feet of snake and $25 for each additional foot.