South Florida's Sun-Sentinel reported today about incidents with pythons in the Miami-Dade area. The latest involved a 66-year old woman, Elidia RodrÃguez, whose 18-pound cat was eaten by a Burmese python.
On Sunday morning, RodrÃguez was walking her dogs when she encountered the snake, which was 10 to 12 feet long, her son said.
He said his mother called him to the scene because he had caught snakes on the property before. He said he was trying to capture it when he noticed the bulge. That's when he decided to call 911. The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue anti-venom unit arrived and bagged the python about 11 a.m.
"It was a pretty good size animal, and it wasn't friendly, either," said Capt. Al Cruz.
He said when he tried to grab the python, it tried several times to bite him. He said the snake had several rows of about 100 teeth and could have inflicted a significant wound.
"I figured it hasn't been a pet snake for some time now, especially with the temperament that it had," he said
Cruz said the bulge in the python's stomach was about 15 to 16 inches, and he suspected it was the 18-pound cat.
But that's not the only snake on a rampage in the area.
A 13-foot python recently gulped down a 6-foot alligator until its stomach ruptured, alarming public officials and citizens.
Were the officials and citizens alarmed because there was a python big enough to swallow an alligator? Or was it the ruptured snake guts that alarmed them? The article doesn't say.
Cruz said the anti-venom unit sees about three to four pythons a year roaming the streets of Miami-Dade County. He said they could be found from Miami Beach to Cutler Ridge.
"They are pets that people have that get away, or people release them," he said. He said a reptile 10 to 12 feet long can kill an adult or child through strangulation, but most won't unless they're confronted.
That's so comforting... Makes me glad I live in California where we only get earthquakes and wildfires.
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