A woman says that her beloved pet dog came face-to-face with a huge python in their backyard — and the incident has her thinking about moving.
Lexi Pantelup of Cape Coral recently told WBBH News that she couldn’t even tell how long the massive snake was, as its long body was hidden by the tall grass beyond her yard's fence.
She had heard her dog barking at something, which she says wasn’t unusual, but then she heard him yelp. Rushing outside, she saw her family pet squaring up with the massive python.
“It’s really scary, honestly; I’m about to put my house up for sale and go,” Pantelup told the local news station, which adds that it’s not the first spotting of the large snakes in the area.
Identified by experts as an invasive Burmese python, the snake Pantelup and her pup encountered is just one of many who have been making their way north from the Everglades after establishing a breeding population there in the 1990s, WBBH reports.
Another couple living in Cape Coral had to kill a huge nine-foot-long Burmese python they found lurking near their home, according to a previous report from WBBH.
Their encounter came less than a week before Pantelup’s encounter, and the couple admitted that they, just like Pantelup, were “scared” by the large animal.
“I’ve never seen a snake that big other than at a zoo,” homeowner Kevin Monroe told WBBH. “Its mouth was as big as probably my hand opening.”
Florida Gulf Coast University wildlife biology assistant professor Andrew Durso told the local news station that it’s “not terribly surprising that we are going to start to see more of these pythons in these areas” as their population continues to grow.
Residents can report Burmese python sightings by calling the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Exotic Species Hotline at 888-483-4681. Those who spot the massive snakes are asked to take photos and note their location, so they can provide that info to authorities.
