"My back was against a wall, there was nothing I could do," Coffee said. However, USARK says the facility visit was an "unannounced raid" and "subsequent massacre." Although, according to the FWC, the officers had no intention of euthanizing the animals at the time.Ĭoffee allowed the officers into the facility, where USARK says they spent around four hours killing snakes, firing multiple shots to the heads of some snakes when it appeared that the first shots failed to kill them. Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were caught on video killing dozens of pythons and a pregnant boa constrictor at a reptile facility in West Palm Beach. 6 visit occurred.įWC said in a statement to NBC6 that the visit was "an attempt to determine if all reticulated pythons held at the facility were accounted for since an escaped or released reticulated python had been found in the general vicinity" the day prior. ![]() USARK says that rather than seize the snakes, officers told Coffee that he had to keep them in captivity and that he could not rehome or euthanize them or else he would be arrested again.Ĭoffee's pythons were maintained at the facility of Bill McAdam in West Palm Beach, where the Apr. However, according to USARK, FWC responded by raiding Coffee's facility, arresting him, and issuing him two charges for each python possessed, for a total of 72 criminal charges. ![]() USARK says after the rules banning the snakes were passed, Coffee was unable to rehome all of his pythons before the FWC deadline which was only a few months.Ībout a year ago, Coffee allegedly notified FWC that he was having difficulties rehoming his animals and asked for a time extension in an effort to remain on good terms with FWC. ![]() Therefore, they say the snakes should have been grandfathered in and exempt from the new regulations. You can also click here for information about reporting sightings.Īlso, if people have a nonnative pet they can no longer care for, the FWC’s Exotic Pet Amnesty Program can help connect them with pre-approved, qualified adopters.15-Foot Burmese Python Caught on Camera Crossing Road in Everglades National ParkĪs for the 34 dead pythons, Coffee possessed them legally with a permit that the FWC made obsolete in 2021, according to USARK. The boa constrictor is native to Central and South America, where they occasionally reach a length of 13 feet but are more typically around 8 feet long, the FWC said.ĪMERICA'S RAREST SNAKE FOUND CHOKED TO DEATH ON GIANT CENTIPEDE IN FLORIDAįloridians can report nonnative snakes by calling the FWC’s Exotic Species Reporting Hotline at 888-Ive-Got1 (483-4681). The snake is now being cared for at Chandler's Wild Life in St. Once on scene, I realized what I was dealing with and just kind of jumped head first into the situation," he said. "I advised deputies on scene that I was en route to attempt to capture and identify the snake. In this case, it was a very large non-indigenous red tail boa. When deputies like Mangrum are called in about a snake in a populated neighborhood, they will respond and verify whether it is an immediate threat or nuisance. It was an exciting experience, for sure." "I have never handled large constrictors and have never handled a snake near the size of this boa before. I used to have snakes when I was a kid, as well," he said. ![]() "Living and growing up in South Florida, I have been around snakes my whole life. Mangrum said he knew it was a large snake but didn't realize how big it was. Lucie County Sheriff's Office / FOX Weather) Lucie County, Florida, neighborhood with help from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. A massive, 10-foot-long, 75-pound boa constrictor was captured by a deputy in a St.
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