It seems nothing the state dreams up — python-killing contests, singing snake catchers from India — can stop their spread. Case in point: Yesterday patrons of a Lincoln Road convenience store were startled to spot a massive snake lounging under a palm tree.
"I figured, well, come on, how big can it be?" Exprezo owner Indika Wanigarathne told the Miami Herald. "When I saw how huge it was, I freaked out. So did everybody else."
They called
The snake, which police spokesperson Ernesto Rodriguez described as being "between six to eight feet," was turned over to AA Native Wildlife.Suspect apprehended! Officers responded to a call of a 6ft snake just off Lincoln Road and safely captured it. #GoodWork pic.twitter.com/N5M2mq47T6
— Daniel J. Oates (@MBPDChiefOates) August 30, 2017
An operator at the Miami pest removal company tells New Times the snake might be an escaped pet rather than an invasive creature that found its way to South Beach. The animal has been handed over to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Python Patrol.
The operator says calls about snakes are exciting to get because they're somewhat uncommon, but not because the snakes aren't around — just because they're good at hiding.
"We know they're everywhere," she says.