Snake Wrangler Captures Record 18-Foot Reticulated Python in Puerto Rico
The invasive snake was spotted strangling a homeowner's cat in Naranjito before Kevin Pavlidis and Project Retic team members tracked and removed it.
File photoThe short version
- Daily Mail reported the reticulated python measured over 18 feet and was captured on Monday in Naranjito after it was seen strangling a pet cat
- Kevin Pavlidis of Project Retic said it took 20 minutes of searching in the jungle to locate the snake which had fled down a mountain
- Pavlidis told Yahoo the snake is a prohibited species under Puerto Rico law making it illegal to keep transport or release so it was euthanized
- Project Retic works year-round to remove the invasive snakes that eat native birds livestock and pets to protect the island ecosystem
Record Capture in Naranjito
A professional snake wrangler captured a record-breaking reticulated python in Puerto Rico after the snake was spotted strangling a homeowner's cat. Kevin Pavlidis, known online as Snakeaholic, responded to a call from the homeowners in Naranjito, a town about 45 minutes south of San Juan. Daily Mail reported the incident occurred on Monday.
Pavlidis and members of Project Retic arrived at the scene within 15 minutes. The snake fled down the mountain when the team approached. It took about 20 minutes of searching before Pavlidis located it. "It took all my tracking skills and 20 minutes of searching to find this snake down in the jungle," he explained in a post shared on Oct. 19. Yahoo reported the python measured 18 feet 4 inches.
Also on PuertoRico.com: Puerto Rico beach and surf conditions
What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
These non-native snakes are having devastating effects on the native wildlife of Puerto Rico and are also causing huge problems for the local residents, often eating their livestock and pets.
The source's own statement, as quoted by Daily Mail. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Invasive Species Impact
Pavlidis works with Project Retic, a group that handles calls about reticulated pythons throughout the year. He said the snakes are invasive to Puerto Rico in the same way Burmese pythons are in Florida and behave differently from them. The snakes eat native birds that help control insect populations as well as livestock and pets, creating broader ecosystem damage. Yahoo reported that eight adults stood shoulder to shoulder to hold up the snake in a photo that has gone viral.
After capture the snake was euthanized in compliance with Puerto Rican laws. State law classifies reticulated pythons as a prohibited species, making it illegal to keep them as pets or transport them within or off the island. Pavlidis said this leaves euthanasia as the only option. The removal followed American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines though the specific method was not independently verified. Daily Mail reported the snake was euthanized shortly after capture.
Where the sources differ
The sources largely agree on the key facts: Kevin Pavlidis and Project Retic captured an 18-foot-plus reticulated python in Naranjito after it was seen attacking a cat, the search took about 20 minutes, and the snake was euthanized per Puerto Rico law. Yahoo says the snake measured 18 feet 4 inches and was nearly 19 feet while Daily Mail says over 18 feet. Daily Mail gives the exact date as Monday and the town name; Yahoo dates the social-media post as Oct. 19 and does not name the town. Daily Mail includes detailed quotes from Pavlidis's video about the capture sequence while Yahoo focuses more on ecosystem impact and legal reasons for euthanasia.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not state the exact length beyond the approximations given, the precise time of the homeowners' call, whether the cat survived, the exact euthanasia method used, or any government agency confirmation of the record. They also do not specify how many reticulated pythons have been removed by Project Retic to date or detail any official monitoring program for the invasive species.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Reporting Snake Wrangler Catches Record-Breaking 18-Foot Python in Puerto Rico After It Targets a Pet Cat
- Reporting Monstrous invasive python captured in Puerto Rico after trappers saw it strangling a pet cat
How we checked this
Yahoo and the Daily Mail both reported the capture based on statements and posts from Kevin Pavlidis of Project Retic. The size record, legal classification as a prohibited species, and ecosystem impact rest on Pavlidis's account and the cited SerpentResearch.com information carried by Yahoo. No independent verification or official government statement appears in either report.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.