The Ybor City Stogie

300 Pound Pythons On The Loose In Florida

The South Asian snakes, which can top 300 pounds, or 135 kilograms, and 20 feet, or 6 meters, are presumed to have entered the park as discards or escapees from the bustling international trade in exotic pets. Year-old, foot-long pythons are a popular $70 item at reptile fairs, but in a few years can reach room-spanning, cat-munching size, prompting some owners to abandon them by the roadside. That practice may not pose an ecological problem in Detroit, Snow said, but in a near-tropical Florida park, it is an unfolding nightmare.......more