Florida firefighter captures 40-pound boa constrictor ‘menacing’ peafowl in middle of road: video

Fox News ^ | 12/17/23 | Stephen Sorace

[CFW]

A 40-pound boa constrictor was captured in the middle of a road in Florida last week after firefighters got a call about the invasive snake threatening a group of peafowl, officials said.

A distress call had alerted fire officials about a "sizable python" that was "menacing" the peafowl around noon Wednesday in Palmetto, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said.

Officials said when Lt. Christopher Pecori from the department’s Venom One Response team arrived at the scene, he identified the snake as a red tail boa constrictor, which is a species non-native to Florida.

"The Venom One Response officer promptly headed to the scene and recognized the formidable serpent as an invasive Red Tail Boa Constrictor, measuring about eight feet in length and weighing around 40 pounds," the department wrote on Instagram.

[CFW]

From the pictures at the link, it appears the peafowl may have been actually menacing the snake.

[monkeyshine]

Makes sense. Boas eat peacocks and peacocks eat snakes.

[MeganC]

Yep. Birds will hunt and kill snakes when they can. Our chickens will gang up on, kill, and eat even rattlesnakes.

[gundog]

Yeah...without looking, I’d bet on the big chickens.

The interchangeable use of “boa constrictor” and “python” annoys me. Boas are New World snakes, and pythons Old World, and thete are differences.

[Berlin_Freeper]

This is why I live in Berlin.

[billorites]

"Venom One Response team"

I'll never be that desperate for work.

[Texaspeptoman]

Ha. You just have wild BOAr’s in your forests.

[Berlin_Freeper]

They put up warning signs.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Anybody who lives with a flock of peacocks nearby would probably prefer boa constrictors.

[CFW]

Before the foxes and coyotes got all our chickens (except one that we named Ninja chicken), we would often see them with a small snake in their beak. They were good at keeping the copperhead population down.

[CFW]

“Anybody who lives with a flock of peacocks nearby would probably prefer boa constrictors.”

---

Noisy and aggravating birds, those peacocks. Our neighbor had some years ago and they would escape their pen and come roost in our trees. I hated them and was glad when the foxes and coyotes finally got them as well.

[No name given]

Indeed.

[Dutch Boy]

"Well, basically a snake don’t have parts. But if I had to call it anything, uh, I would say it’s his knee."

[Colt1851Navy]

Weapon of choice in this situation is a .410 shotgun blast to serpents noggin.

[gundog]

Note the media’s anti-snake bias....” formidable serpent”...” invasive snake.” Like peafowl are native Floridians....

[sasquatch]

I’ve popped a few honkers.

[wildcard_redneck]

I am just waiting to hear that someone has introduced Nile crocodiles and hippos to Florida. The state is becoming a veritable ark of creation.

[TangoLimaSierra]

Looks more like those peafowl were harassing that poor snake.

[AF_Blue]

he identified the snake as a red tail boa constrictor, which is a species non-native to Florida.

Still tastes like chicken.

[mabarker1]

I’ve been told that peacocks taste like chicken. I have never verified that personally. I prefer turkey if I have to eat bird.