SARASOTA – Some folks in Sarasota had snakes on the brain Monday, as the Nature Conservancy held a different kind of class at New College: How to catch a python.
Although the group says the deadly snakes are not a problem yet in this part of the state, knowing how to protect yourself is a lesson we all could use.
“We have had reports in the region. We have picked up neighbors in the region. We don’t have any reason to believe that you have a breeding population yet, so the more we get ahead of this issue and find these…know what to look for, what to do when we see things, the more we can keep the problem at bay,” says one instructor from the Nature Conservancy.
Burmese pythons are not indigenous to Florida, but are usually the offspring of freed house pets. The snakes can grow as long as 20 feet and weigh up to 250 pounds.