Florida man finds the world's largest Burmese python, fights it

A Florida snake hunter had one of the deadliest encounters of his life this week, when he fought a six-meter long Burmese python. 22-year-old Jake Waleri encountered the python while on a hunt in a national park, eventually capturing it and registering a record for finding the largest of this species of snake, so far.

In a video that has since gone viral, Jake can be seen pinning down the creature while his friends helped him. Waleri said he spotted the python while on a hunt for the invasive species at the Big Cypress National Preserve.

"Honestly I had no idea this would be a world-record-breaker," he told ABC News.


"When I first saw it, the python was mostly concealed by grass so I figured it was a 10- to 12-foot snake [about three meters], " he added.

"But then it slithered out onto the road and I could see the full mass of the thing, and I knew it was going to be one hell of a fight."

Waleri told news channels that it took him close to three minutes to tame the snake and tape its mouth to get it under control. He added that they were "lucky to walk away unharmed".

The python was killed and taken to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.

Burmese pythons are found in the Everglades ecosystem in South Florida, often posing a threat to the native wildlife. Therefore, residents are allowed to capture and even humanely kill them.