But as soon as he saw his latest catch, he knew that was something to remember.
Kimmel, owner of Martin County Trapping & Wildlife Rescue, went to Florida Everglades last week hoping to catch a giant Burmese python.
He heads to a desert island where he sees crocodile dung and a black snake – but then arrives on top of a giant python which he immediately knows is special. “My heart starts pounding,” Kimmel told CNN. “I’ve caught a big one before, but this one looks really big.”
He was truly intimidated by snakes, he said, but he was not known as
Python Cowboy for nothing. After a brief struggle and an unpleasant bite, all of them were trapped inside him
Youtube video, Kimmel was able to reach the head of a female snake and managed to drag it back to his boat, where he put her to sleep.
Kimmel is waiting for the state authority for official measurements. When he measured the snake at home, it was around 17 feet long and he estimated that it weighed around 130 to 150 pounds, he said.
The largest python captured in Florida is 18 feet, 8 inches, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The snakes began to appear on the Everglades in the 1980s, most likely left by pet owners when they were too big to handle. Some may have escaped from breeding facilities that were destroyed during Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Now wildlife officials estimate there may be as many as 100,000 pythons living on the Everglades. The snake kills native animals including racoons, beavers, birds and even crocodiles.
Kimmel plans to sell the snake skin on its website. He said he would also receive payments from the Florida Python Action Team, which pays people to eliminate invasive species.
“I am proud that I came out on top and I know that I will get a good salary from that,” Kimmel said. “But most importantly, a snake of that size can really get anything, so I’m happy to get this dangerous predator out of the ecosystem.”
Alaa Elassar from CNN contributed to this report.
