Florida Snake Capture A Hoax

A man who supposedly caught a fourteen foot python in a Florida drain pipe was charged with perpetrating a hoax after wildlife officers discovered that he actually owned the snake and had put it in the pipe in order to stage his 'capture'.

Justin Matthews, a professional animal trapper, admitted later on that he had in fact staged the event to call attention to a growing problem of irresponsible pet ownership.

Matthews was charged with misusing the 911 emergency system and maintaining captive wildlife in an unsafe manner.

He summoned news media to witness the snake's capture from the drain in the city of Bradenton in July, telling them that he was performing a public service because it threatened nearby school children. He said that neighbors had reported seeing the large snake in the area over a period of several months.

Matthews, age forty-seven, had actually bought the Burmese python from a licensed reptile dealer a month beforehand and illegally let it go in the drain, then called 911 to request emergency help, according to wildlife investigators.

Footage of the capture was widely televised in Florida, where Burmese pythons and other non-native snakes have bred rapidly in the Everglades after being released into the wild by pet owners.

The snakes are considered a threat to native species, and the state has allowed hunters to trap them.