Vet Kills Massive Python

200-pound, 17-foot Burmese destroyed

A 200-pound, 17-foot Burmese python became the latest snake to be destroyed after it was captured and killed by a veterinarian on private property in Okeechobee County yesterday afternoon.

The massive python was 26 inches in diameter but had no microchip. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, any python over two inches in diameter must have a microchip if it's kept as a pet.

Officials with the FWC examined the python's stomach contents, but didn't find anything identifiable inside.

It's been just two weeks since the state launched its permit program, which allows python experts with permits to hunt and kill any pythons they come across. Seven permits have been issued and five pythons have been killed, according to the FWC.

Burmese pythons aren't native to Florida, and officials said they've been introduced into the state by owners who ditched them and many escaped in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew.

Estimates put the number of pythons running loose in Florida at about 150,000.

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