What started as a family outing to help remove invasive snakes from Florida’s Everglades quickly turned into a terrifying battle for survival. Carl Jackson believes he spotted a Burmese python about 12 feet long while crossing a dirt road in Big Cypress National Park.
But the moment he caught the snake, he realized he had made a costly miscalculation. The massive alligator, which later measured 16 feet, 10 inches long and weighed 202 pounds, began dragging it through dense brush toward a nearby canal. As the giant snake tried to squirm around him, Jackson’s wife and two children rushed to help, turning a dangerous encounter into one of Florida’s most notable snake catches.
How a Florida father caught a Burmese python
The incident occurred on January 13 during an official python removal hunt in Big Cypress National Park. Carl Jackson was accompanied by his wife, Tasha, and their two children, Ryker, 20, and Jazlyn, 16, who recently became certified to help catch invasive snakes.Jackson initially estimated the snake was about 12 feet long. However, once he grabbed it behind his head, he realized that it was much larger.
Instead of striking him immediately, the giant Burmese python began dragging him through the dense vegetation towards the canal. As it dragged him across the ground, the snake also attempted to wrap its powerful body around him, creating a potentially dangerous situation.
His family rushed to rescue him
Seeing their father in trouble, Ricker, son Carl Jackson, and daughter Jazlyn immediately rushed to help. Ryker grabbed the snake’s tail while Jazlyn helped keep it from tightening its coils around their father.
Meanwhile, his wife, Tasha Jackson, taped the snake’s mouth shut before later covering its eyes, making it easier for the family to control the reptile. Working together, the family was eventually able to subdue the huge snake.
Jackson later stated that he got to within about a foot of the canal before his wife and children helped control the terrifying struggle.
One of the largest snakes ever recorded in Florida
It was only after the snake was subdued that the family appreciated its extraordinary size.
Officials measured the female Burmese python at 16 feet, 10 inches long and 202 pounds, making it the second heaviest land Burmese python ever recorded in Florida.The snake was so large that it nearly filled the bed of the family’s pickup truck. Its size also highlighted the extent of Burmese pythons in South Florida, where they are considered one of the most destructive invasive species in the region.
The biggest surprise came after the arrest
While processing the snake, the family discovered even more fascinating details.
The giant female was carrying nearly 200 eggs, meaning her removal prevented hundreds of potential hatchlings from entering Florida’s fragile Everglades ecosystem.The previous record-setting female snake, which was discovered in 2022, weighed 215 pounds and contained 122 developing eggs. Although this latest snake did not reach the weight record, it may have surpassed it in terms of reproductive ability.
Why do Burmese pythons pose such a threat?
Burmese pythons, native to Southeast Asia, are believed to have established breeding populations in Florida after escaping and releasing pet pythons spread across the Everglades.
Over the past few decades, they have become one of the state’s most problematic invasive predators.Snakes feed on a wide range of native wildlife, including mammals, birds and reptiles. Scientists have linked their expansion to significant declines in the numbers of many mammals across parts of the Everglades, prompting state agencies to organize regular removal programs involving contractors and trained volunteers.
Big win for the Florida Everglades
Although the confrontation could have ended very differently, the Jackson family’s teamwork prevented a dangerous situation from turning into a tragedy. Their capture resulted not only in one of the largest wild Burmese pythons ever documented in Florida, but also in the removal of a breeding female carrying about 200 eggs.For wildlife officials, this makes the dramatic struggle more than just an extraordinary survival story. It also represents a major victory in the ongoing effort to protect Florida’s native wildlife from one of its most successful invasive predators.