What began as a family outing to help remove invasive snakes from Florida’s Everglades quickly turned into a terrifying fight for survival. Carl Jackson believed he had spotted a Burmese python measuring about 12 feet as it crossed a dirt road in Big Cypress National Preserve. But the moment he grabbed the snake, he realised he had made a costly miscalculation. The massive reptile, later measured at 16 feet 10 inches and weighing 202 pounds, began dragging him through dense brush towards a nearby canal. With the giant python attempting to coil around him, Jackson’s wife and two children rushed in to help, turning a dangerous encounter into one of Florida’s most remarkable python captures.
How a Florida dad grabbed the Burmese python
The incident took place on January 13 during an official python removal hunt in Big Cypress National Preserve. Carl Jackson was accompanied by his wife, Tasha, and their children, 20-year-old Ryker and 16-year-old Jazzlyn, who had recently become certified to assist in invasive python hunts.Jackson initially estimated the snake to be around 12 feet long. However, as soon as he grabbed it behind the head, he realised it was much larger. Instead of immediately striking, the giant Burmese python began pulling him through thick vegetation towards a canal. As it dragged him across the ground, the snake also tried to wrap its powerful body around him, creating a potentially dangerous situation.
His family jumped in to save him
Seeing their father in trouble, Carl Jackson’s son, Ryker, and daughter, Jazzlyn, immediately rushed to help. Ryker grabbed the python’s tail while Jazzlyn helped stop it from tightening its coils around their father. At the same time, his wife, Tasha Jackson, taped the snake’s mouth shut before later covering its eyes, making it easier for the family to control the reptile. Working together, the family eventually subdued the enormous snake. Jackson later recalled that he came within about a foot of the canal before his wife and children helped bring the terrifying struggle under control.
One of the biggest pythons ever recorded in Florida
Only after the python had been subdued did the family appreciate its extraordinary size. Officials measured the female Burmese python at 16 feet 10 inches long and 202 pounds, making it the second-heaviest wild Burmese python ever recorded in Florida.The snake was so large that it nearly filled the bed of the family’s pickup truck. Its size also highlighted how established Burmese pythons have become in south Florida, where they are considered one of the region’s most destructive invasive species.
The biggest surprise came after the capture
While processing the python, the family discovered an even more remarkable detail. The giant female was carrying roughly 200 eggs, meaning its removal prevented hundreds of potential hatchlings from entering Florida’s fragile Everglades ecosystem.The previous record-setting female python, discovered in 2022, weighed 215 pounds and contained 122 developing eggs. Although this latest snake fell short of the weight record, it may have surpassed it in terms of reproductive potential.
Why Burmese pythons are such a threat
Native to Southeast Asia, Burmese pythons are believed to have established breeding populations in Florida after escaped and released pet snakes spread through the Everglades. Over the past few decades, they have become one of the state’s most problematic invasive predators.The snakes feed on a wide range of native wildlife, including mammals, birds and reptiles. Scientists have linked their expansion to significant declines in several mammal populations across parts of the Everglades, prompting state agencies to organise regular removal programmes involving trained contractors and volunteers.
A major win for Florida’s Everglades
Although the encounter could have ended very differently, the Jackson family’s teamwork prevented a dangerous situation from becoming a tragedy. Their capture not only resulted in one of the largest wild Burmese pythons ever documented in Florida but also removed a breeding female carrying around 200 eggs.For wildlife officials, that makes the dramatic struggle more than just an extraordinary survival story. It also represents a significant victory in the ongoing effort to protect Florida’s native wildlife from one of its most successful invasive predators.
