MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A South Florida family got a big holiday surprise Christmas day: a 13-foot Burmese python lurking in their backyard swimming pool.
The homeowner ventured outside Sunday and found the reptile curled up in the corner of the pool in the back of the home on Southwest 97th Avenue and 183rd Street.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's Venom Unit was called out and removed it. It will likely be used for training purposes.
Burmese pythons are a problem in Florida. Many of them have been illegally acquired as pets. There is also a large population in the Everglades. Workers for the South Florida Water Management District found a 16-foot python there two months ago, with a deer in its belly.