A Florida man riding his bike in Everglades National Park spotted an invasive Burmese python on the side of the road and nabbed the snake before it could slither into the underbrush.
Onlookers oohed and aahed at the writhing 8-foot-long menace, took pictures of the unique Florida spectacle and congratulated 42-year-old Yatir Nitzany on catching one of the state’s most destructive exotic species.
“Good work!” someone yelled during the April encounter. A tram driver told Nitzany to hold onto the snake until a park ranger could come.
Nitzany did just that and was fined $180 and given a citation for handling wildlife without a permit.
“I felt like it was my obligation to not let this thing go,” said Nitzany, of Miami. “I held onto it for 30 minutes and when the ranger arrived, I felt like he treated me like a criminal.”
Burmese pythons have decimated native wildlife in Everglades National Park since they gained a foothold in the mid-1980s, according to Florida Python Control plan.
While not venomous, they assumed a “top position on the food web,” devouring furry, feathered and scaled animals alike, including full-size deer and alligators.
By 2012, a study estimated that pythons were responsible for a decline of 85% to 100% of the park’s population of medium-sized mammals.
What’s the rule on handling pythons in Everglades National Park?
And in much of Florida, Burmese pythons may be captured and humanely killed with no permit, no hunting license, and at any time of year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. There is no bag limit.
But in federally controlled Everglades National Park, Nitzany allegedly violated a regulation that requires a permit to handle wildlife, according to the citation he was given.
“The ranger said I should have called 911 and they would have redirected me to the park switchboard,” Nitzany said. “The snake probably would have been long gone before anyone got there.”
Records of voicemail and text messages provided by Nitzany show that park employees contacted him four times between the April infraction and his scheduled June 12 court date. They repeatedly asked if he planned to pay the fine or go to court.
If he did neither, the messages warned that a federal bench warrant could be issued for failing to appear for a mandatory hearing.
“When I heard this story, I thought it sounded unbelievable, and then it just got more unbelievable,” said Pets’ Trust Miami President Michael Rosenberg, who has worked with Nitzany on animal rescue issues. “I told him, ‘You have to fight this.’”
Rosenberg said he understands the spirit of the regulation. People shouldn’t be able to take or handle wildlife in the park.
“It’s a good idea until this particular invasive species ate everything in the park,” he said.
Some of Florida’s contracted python hunters have expressed concern in the past that people can confuse native snakes with pythons and end up killing a local, but Nitzany said he has experience handling snakes, knew it was a python and had no plans beyond waiting for the ranger.
Why was the python handling case eventually thrown out of court?
Friends and family counseled him to pay the fine to stop the phone messages and stress.
Instead, he decided to go to court with the support of Rosenberg and Ron Magill, a wildlife advocate heavyweight who retired this year from his high-profile position as communications director for Zoo Miami.
Magill, who went to court with Nitzany on June 12, said that Nitzany likely saved the lives of countless native animals that could have fallen prey to the python he removed or its offspring.
“This is a classic case that demanded discretion and for whatever reason, discretion wasn’t given,” said Magill, who is now the conservation liaison for Zoo Miami Foundation. “My reasoning behind this is we need to make an amendment to that law.”
Nitzany said he was told at the courthouse on the day of the trial that the case was dismissed because the citation was “improperly written.”
“The only crime I committed was asking for help,” Nitzany said. “Now if I come across a python, I will kill it and throw it in the bushes.”
A statement from Everglades National Park about the incident said the violation was dismissed prior to the court hearing and that there was nothing further to add.
It also noted that the park supports the removal of pythons and will again open its lands to hunters during the state’s 2026 Python Challenge event, which will be held July 10-19.
“Those interested in assisting with invasive python management can participate through established programs, including the Florida Python Challenge and authorized agent opportunities, which provide the training, guidance and oversight necessary to support safe and effective removal efforts away from our National Park Service visitors,” the statement said.
Kimberly Miller is a journalist for the USA TODAY NETWORK FLORIDA. She covers weather, the environment and critters as the Embracing Florida reporter. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at palmbeachpost.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida man hailed for grabbing 8-foot python, then given $180 ticket
Reporting by Kimberly Miller, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kimberly Miller, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
