Warren Sapp attends the TAO x Maxim Big Game Party at Southwest Jet Center on February 11, 2023 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)
Before playing college at Miami (FL) alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Before all those years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And long before he was inducted into the NFL hall Of Fame, Warren Sapp was just a kid from Florida. So when I heard Warren Sapp was out in the Everglades hunting pythons I thought, sure, why not.
The Python Challenge is currently going on in the Florida Everglades with a $10,000 grand prize up for grabs. I'm not sure if Warren Sapp is competing along with the others, but by the looks of this video he could certainly hold his own.
Warren Sapp teamed up with the famous Python Cowboy for some hunting in the swamps of the Everglades. And PC was not going to let Warren be a bystander. Sapp needed to get in there and grab a snake. He grabbed it so hard I thought the snake's head was going to pop off. If you're pressed for time and just want to see a highlight, skip ahead to 7 minutes in the video.
Sapp was an absolutely dominant player in college and in the NFL. And now, at the age of 50, it looks like he's found a new passion. Python hunting in the Everglades. That man is a treasure.
Everglades Gone Wild: 18 Foot Python Eats 5 Foot Alligator
It's bad enough all the pythons that are wrecking the ecosystem of the Everglades. Also, they're spreading out. During a hunt just 3 weeks ago a 14 foot python was captured in Naples.
Many of the snakes being captured seem to be getting larger. Case in point. This 18 foot python was captured with a fully intact 5 foot alligator inside of it. I image he was moving pretty slow after such a large meal and was easy to capture. By the looks of the video it seems that the alligator hasn't been digested at all. Geoscientist Rosie Moore described the video on her Instagram "This particular Python was roughly 18 ft, and had consumed a 5ft alligator. " She goes on to explain why the pythons are such a threat "Due to the the subtropical environment of South Florida, paired with the Burmese pythons long life span and rapid reproduction, these snakes have successfully invaded ecologically sensitive areas such as Everglades National Park. This poses a threat to a variety of wildlife, due to the pythons wide dietary preferences."
Obviously this python definitely does not belong in the Everglades. Kudos to those who captured and euthanized it. No other animal in the swamp stands a change against one of these monsters.
No one's completely certain how the python was introduced in the Everglades. And now it seems they're getting larger. And hungrier.
I don't know her, but Rosie Moore looks to be a total badass. Here's some more from her Instagram:
At home below the water as she is above it. Not sure exactly where this dive is, but it's gorgeous.
Even with it's mouth taped shut. you wouldn't find me on top of a gator like that. You really need to have no fear to do this job.
If you're in Florida, you know how bad the python problem is here. Rosie is doing her part to keep the invasion at bay.
Yes, Florida also has crocodiles. How can she look so calm holding this thing?
A beach shot. Just because.
Shout out to the STEM program. Thank you Rosie.
