In the heart of Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve, a team of python hunters united their efforts to capture a colossal serpent that measured a staggering 17 feet in length and weighed a whopping 198 pounds, reports upi.com.
Mike Elfenbein, a dedicated conservationist at the age of 45, embarked on this mission with his 17-year-old son, Cole, as they scoured the vast 729,000-acre preserve in search of the invasive snakes. Their quest led them to a monumental python of exceptional proportions.
Joining forces with Elfenbein and his son were fellow hunters Trey Barber, Carter Gavlock, and Holden Hunter. Despite being strangers at the outset, the five of them recognized the urgency of capturing this giant serpent.
“We were strangers,” Elfenbein told CBS News. “But the five of us knew we had to capture this thing.”
The quintet engaged in an arduous struggle with the female snake for approximately 45 minutes. Elfenbein took hold of her head, while his son grasped her tail. They extended her across the road, and Carter, Holden, and Trey leaped onto her in an attempt to immobilize her.
Astonishingly, the snake had such immense power that it momentarily lifted them off the ground, as recounted by Elfenbein in an interview with WSVN-TV.
“I grabbed her by the head and my son had her by the tail. We stretched her out across the road and Carter, Holden, and Tray jumped on top of her to try to hold her down. She literally lifted us up the ground,” Elfenbein told WSVN-TV.
Their efforts paid off, as professional python hunter Amy Siewe was summoned to the scene to take charge of the captured snake. The remarkable creature tipped the scales at 198 pounds, earning it the distinction of being the second heaviest python on record in the state.
