PINECREST, Fla. — Law enforcement officers in South Florida have to always be prepared for the unexpected when they clock in each day.
That was the case for an officer with the Pinecrest Police Department and a deputy with the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office who encountered a slithery surprise this week.
According to a post on the police department's Facebook page, Sgt. Carlos Atola and a sheriff's deputy captured a massive Burmese python at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Southwest 98th Street.
The police department said the big reptile measured 14 feet!
The picture posted to Facebook showed the officer and deputy holding the python outside a tire shop where the snake was caught.
Pinecrest is about 11 miles southwest of the city of Miami, so the big snake was found in an area not exactly considered rural!
"This invasive species poses a serious threat to Florida's native wildlife, and thanks to quick action, it's one less slithering danger on our roads and in our community," the police department posted on Facebook.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said that since the year 2000, more than 23,000 wild Burmese pythons have been removed from the state and reported to the FWC.
