A 9-foot Burmese python became an uninvited guest at Hideaway Beach Club, a private Florida resort, and was forcefully removed using golf clubs in a nighttime encounter, The incident, captured on video, took place on December 21 at the exclusive Marco Island club, according to a Miami Herald report.
Officers from the Marco Island police and a security guard were quick to respond to the reptilian intruder, choosing to use golf clubs, a staple among the club's amenities, to fend off the snake. They had to quickly improvise to keep the serpent at bay and prevent it from potentially biting them with its powerful, nonvenomous jaws. "It’s not clear how golf clubs entered the melee," as stated by the Miami Herald, providing an ironic twist given the club's known for its "9-hole Executive Golf Course."
The python was eventually overpowered when a cloth was thrown over its head, momentarily blinding it. A security guard then managed to safely secure the animal just below the head and place it into a pet crate, as the Miami Herald posted on X. Locals had a shock after watching the video, with resident comments like Kelley Felner who wrote, "The video is frightening," and Debi Allen-Cox who alluded to the presence of more pythons saying, "If there’s one...."
Python shows up at private beach club in Florida and gets subdued with golf clubs https://t.co/VrePv2b1wj
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) December 29, 2023
After the event, the invasive python was transferred to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida for research purposes. The conservancy plans to conduct a necropsy to learn more about the creature, which is part of a species that has wreaked havoc in the Everglades due to predation on native species. These snakes are believed to have been illegally introduced through the exotic pet trade, the Miami Herald indicates. The growing concern is underscored by sightings of these large pythons on Marco Island dating back before 2015; however, the means by which these creatures are reaching the island remains a mystery.
