In the United States, the Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is most often associated with zoos or the invasive chaos it’s brought to Florida over the last 50 years. That doesn’t mean the giant snake can’t potentially threaten local ecosystems in other parts of the country, too. At least 10 states including New York currently ban or heavily restrict the importation, trade, and selling of pythons.
It’s still unclear if the owner of a Burmese python understood the local laws before recently showing off his massive pet to onlookers at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. But according to New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), officers were quick to inform him of the issue before confiscating the reptile.
“On July 12, [Officer] Maynard observed a large snake near Riegelmann Boardwalk in Coney Island with a crowd of about a dozen people, including small children, gathered around it,” the NYSDEC recounted in its monthly rundown of notable events.
The man, who also had a ball python (Python regius) draped around his neck, quickly admitted to owning the sizable Burmese specimen. The officer then issued a ticket for illegal possession, which likely includes a potential fine of up to $500, before confiscating the snake.
The officer couldn’t do it alone, however. Given its huge size, transporting the reptile to the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) on Long Island required backup from at least one additional officer. While NYSDEC didn’t specify the snake’s exact weight and length, the announcement’s accompanying photo suggests the snake was at least 10 feet long. Burmese pythons regularly grow upwards of 16 feet long in the wild while weighing close to 200 pounds.
Unlike Florida’s hotter and more humid climate, New York State isn’t well suited for pythons outside captivity. So while it’s unlikely that local conservationists will ever need to organize their own annual python hunting challenge, the predators could still prove dangerous to native wildlife and local pets.
