Snake catcher remembers catching the longest snake in Florida

Two months ago, Kevin Pavlidis was walking through tall grass on a small island in the Florida Everglades when he saw the snake coiled and glowing in the sun — 14.5 feet long and 85 pounds.

“Python!” He called his hunting partner, Anthony.

Wasting no time, Pavlidis grabbed the head of the snake, but it bulged out, causing the 25-year-old to lose his balance and fall on top of it.

“My hand went straight into her mouth,” he told The Post. “Her sharp teeth sank into my knuckles and that was painful. They usually let go and take off. But because of where I was, she didn’t. I felt a tissue tear.”

No sooner had Anthony come to the rescue with a credit card. “He pushed his American Express card into my hands and the top row of her teethAnd the Which pulled the flesh of my hand out of her teeth and I was able to free my hand. This situation left me out of commission for a few days but the card was still usable.”

It’s just another day for the man with the name.”Snakeaholicwho spends three to five nights a week hunting large snakes.

Pavlidis caught this record-setting snake — at 18 feet 9.75 inches, the longest in Florida history — in 2019.
Kevin Pavlidis snakeaholic
Pavlidis and fellow hunter Ryan Osborne (right) teamed up on the record-setting snake, earning them $400 to split.
Pavlidis and fellow hunter Ryan Osborne (right) teamed up on the record-setting snake, earning them $400 to split.
Kevin Pavlidis snakeaholic

He earns $50 for the first four feet of the reptile and $25 for each additional foot, paid to Pavlidis by the South Florida Water Management District, using Everglade restoration funds that come from Florida. Pictures of a 215-pound python were recently released, and heaviest snake In Florida history has been discovered, and the government is eager to pull the invasive species — which have multiplied exponentially as they were abandoned as house pets — away from the swamps of South Florida. So in 2017, it announced a program that allows licensed bounty hunters to hunt slithering reptiles, which are captured alive before they can be labeled and humanely euthanized.

Pavlidis is one of the 50 professional snake hunters contracted by the South Florida Water Management District; Another 50 are registered with Florida Fish and Wildlife. They are the only ones allowed to work in the national parks there.

Pavlidis is one of the 50 professional snake hunters contracted by the South Florida Water Management District.
Pavlidis is one of the 50 professional snake hunters contracted by the South Florida Water Management District.
Kevin Pavlidis snakeaholic

After three-and-a-half years of snake hunting, Pavilides is nearing his 700th captivity. And while he says he loves the creatures, he also recognizes the need to stop them from destroying the native wildlife of South Florida.

We know that these snakes were originally imported for the pet trade; said Pavlidis who has Youtube Channel dedicated to reptiles. “Somehow, though, they have made their way into the Everglades… They are very efficient at growing and breeding. Probably, there are over a million snakes in South Florida.”

He knows very well how powerful they are. Two years ago, while trying to catch him, “a snake almost broke my wrist. It wrapped around the top of my hand and just started twisting and pulling. I let go of the snake, grabbed as hard as I could and pulled it off before the bones shattered.”

After graduating with a degree in finance, Pavlidis wrestles crocodiles during the day for tourists in the Everglades and hunts snakes at night.
After graduating with a degree in finance, Pavlidis wrestles crocodiles during the day for tourists in the Everglades and hunts snakes at night.
Kevin Pavlidis snakeaholic

Pavlidis and his other fishing partner, Ryan Osborne, managed it Florida’s longest snake hitch 18 feet 9 3/4 inches two years ago. I earned them $400 to split it But money was far from easy.

Pavlidis recounted: “This serpent was a beast that stretched in deep water from knee to waist.” “Ryan grabbed his tail and clung to his dear life. I found the head and counted it for a clean catch. This is not the snake you want to bite. We dragged it to dry land, subdued it and preserved victory.”

Last December, biologists caught the heaviest snake in Florida history - weighing 215 pounds.
Last December, biologists caught the heaviest snake in Florida history – weighing 215 pounds.
Swens

After euthanizing the snakes, the hunters are allowed to do as they please with the skin; Pavlidis sells many of them as king cobra food.

For the Long Island native, who graduated from the State University of New York at New Paltz in 2018 with a degree in finance, snake hunting is her dream job.

“I have been passionate about reptiles my whole life,” Pavlidis said. “[‘Crocodile Hunter’ star] Steve Irwin inspired me and had a passion for snakes since I was seven years old. As you get older, the animals become bigger and more dangerous. At the age of eleven, I was exposed to snakes and fell in love with them.”

Pavlidis (center) said he views his snakebites as good memories.
Pavlidis (center) said he views his injuries caused by snakes as good memories.
Swens

During his final year at SUNY, he was a reptile fanatic Got a chance to move to Florida and wrestle alligators for tourists in Everglades National Park.

“I met the owner on a shark diving trip in South Florida; then we went out and hunted snakes together for fun,” said Pavlidis, who had never used his finances professionally. “A little later, he called me and said he was looking for a new alligator wrestler. I couldn’t see living my life without doing it. I graduated in December. On January 3rd, I was in Florida. Now I wrestle with alligators during the day and go out for snakes as soon as the sun goes down.”

As for the snake that almost raised its hand, it wasn’t all bad. He and Anthony packed the serpent, and Pavilides ended up with a souvenir.

“I now have the skull in my personal collection,” he said. “I have scars on my knuckles; I can line them up with the snake’s mouth and see how they got me.”

There are no hard feelings. “I look at the skull and smile. It brings back good memories from the battle [and] It reminds me of the mistakes I’ve made and what happens when you underestimate the power of a serpent.”

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