Second largest python ever caught in Florida’s wilderness subdued by duo

The python was caught by Python Action Team members Cynthia Downer and Jonathan Lopez at Big Cypress National Preserve.

Published Oct 6, 2019

Florida trappers Jonathan Lopez, left, and Cynthia Downer pose with a record-setting python they captured at the Big Cypress National Preserve, west of Miami, Fla. A statement by the Fish and Wildlife Commission says it was the largest snake captured by the new Python Action Team and the largest ever captured at the Big Cypress National Preserve. The agency says it is the second-largest python ever caught in the wild in Florida

A huge python caught in Florida is the second largest ever caught in the state’s wilderness, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

The female snake was caught by Python Action Team (PAT) members Cynthia Downer and Jonathan Lopez at Big Cypress National Preserve, and measured 18ft 4in and weighed more than 98 pounds.

The python is the largest ever caught by the FWC’s team, who two days later removed their 900th Burmese python – a small specimen little longer than two feet – from Florida’s wilderness.

“Removing 900 pythons is a great milestone for our Python Action Team!” said FWC executive director Eric Sutton.

“These snakes coupled with the thousands removed by our partners at the National Park Service and the South Florida Water Management District make a significant impact to protect Florida’s native wildlife.”