Everglades Tour Guide Captures Huge Burmese Python (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

The snake, however, turned out to be 10 and a half feet long -- and it began coiling itself around Owens' arm as the fight began.
"That's when I found out he was stronger than I was, and much bigger than I thought he was," Owens laughed. "We were kind of doing like a snake ju-jitsu. He'd get a coil around one arm and my other arm would uncoil him and that arm would get coiled. It was tough... at one point I was literally Handcuffed to this snake."

With Wortman's help, the snake was eventually subdued and euthanized.
"They're eating our birds, our wading birds, our rabbits, our smaller mammals," Owens explained. "A snake that size can just cause a lot of damage, so I caused a lot of damage to him essentially, unfortunately for him."

Indeed. The pythons are suspected to be wiping out large numbers of raccoons, opossums, bobcats and other mammals in the Everglades, aaccording to an alarming recent population study.
Many of the snakes are believed to have made their way into the ecosystem when dumped by irresponsible pet owners -- and they've become such a huge problem they state even sponsored a month-long amateur hunt earlier this year. Unfortunately, the big hunt only yielded 68 of the estimated 150,000 pythons roaming the Everglades.
As for the little girls canoing with Owens and Wortman that day? They loved it, according to the guides.

Rahquel Carr, 4-Year-Old Girl, Shot To Death In Car In Northwest Miami-Dade (VIDEO)

MIAMI, FL -- A little girl has died after being shot Saturday night in front of other children in a car in Northwest Miami-Dade.
Four-year-old Rahquel Carr suffered a gunshot wound to her upper body, according to Miami-Dade Police, and was pronounced dead at Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Detectives are still investigating to determine who shot the gun inside the white Mercedes-Benz, which the Miami Herald reports was parked in the girl's grandparents' driveway in the 12000 block of Northwest 20th Avenue.

Relatives told CBS Miami they believe the girl's six-year-old brother was playing with the gun when it went off accidentally, but MDPD spokesman Det. Roy Rutland said circumstances are still unclear.
"There's a lot of speculation right now as to who had that firearm at the time, but we're not in the business of speculating, we're in the business of facts," Rutland said, noting that an adult was nearby and several children were inside the car when the shooting happened around 6 p.m. Saturday evening.
The Associated Press reports the owner of both the weapon and the car was not present at the time of the shooting and has not been charged.
Florida law requires firearms to be securely encased when in a vehicle, according to NBC6.
“To know that a kid has access to a gun and to be able to have that kind of tragedy happen right in front of your home it’s sad,” neighbor Kendrick Williams told CBS. “Our prayers are with the family and everybody else involved in this situation. The sad thing is someone’s going to have to get in trouble for this for being irresponsible with the unsecured weapon.”