Giant 13-Foot Python Confiscated From Upstate New York Home: Snake Was Growing Too Big

Giant 13-Foot Python Seized From Upstate New York Home: Snake Was Growing Too Big

Authorities in upstate New York confiscated a massive 13-foot Burmese python from a man's home after he was found keeping the still-growing snake in a small tank.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation received a complaint about an illegally owned snake in New Hartford on August 28th. When an officer arrived, he found the snake, which weighed 80 pounds and measured 13 feet 2 inches long, in a tank that was only 4 to 5 feet long.

The python, which appeared healthy and still growing, was relocated to the Fort Rickey Discovery Zoo in Rome, where it can be housed in a proper environment. The snake's owner was ticketed for possessing wildlife as a pet and for possessing dangerous wildlife without a permit. He told officials he was unprepared for how quickly the snake would grow.

Burmese pythons are native to Southeast Asia but have become popular pets in the United States. They are a growing invasive species in Florida where they prey on native wildlife. The python confiscated in New York was an albino Burmese python, which is yellow with an arrowhead-like design on its head. These snakes can grow to be up to 16 feet long.

<img src="https://media.nbcnewyork.com/2024/09/AP24249550678944.jpg?quality=85&amp;strip=all&amp;resize=320%2C180 320w, https://media.nbcnewyork.com/2024/09/AP24249550678944.jpg?quality=85&amp;strip=all&amp;resize=400%2C225 400w, https://media.nbcnewyork.com/2024/09/AP24249550678944.jpg?quality=85&amp;strip=all&amp;resize=500%2C281 500w, https://media.nbcnewyork.com/2024/09/AP24249550678944.jpg?quality=85&amp;strip=all&amp;resize=600%2C338 600w, https://media.nbcnewyork.com/2024/09/AP24249550678944.jpg?quality=85&amp;strip=all&amp;resize=850%2C478 850w, https://media.nbcnewyork.com/2024/09/AP24249550678944.jpg?quality=85&amp;strip=all&amp;resize=1200%2C675 1200w, " sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, (max-width: 1200px) calc(100vw - 350px), 850px" src="https://media.nbcnewyork.com/2024/09/AP24249550678944.jpg?quality=85&amp;strip=all&amp;resize=320%2C180" alt="In this photo released by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, DEC Officer Jeff Hull poses with a Burmese python that was confiscated from a home in New Hartford, N.Y., on Aug. 28, 2024. It is illegal to own a Burmese python in New York state without a permit. (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation via AP)">