NEWYou now have the option to listen to articles from a reptile hunter who recently took action to remove a 16-foot python found slithering around a dumpster at an apartment building in Los Angeles.
Video footage captures 24-year-old Joseph Hart, dressed in just jeans and a T-shirt, cautiously approaching the large python that was tightly wrapped around the dumpster’s rim, eventually managing to detach the animal.
Hart, who was doing computer work at a coffee shop when he received the call about the snake, assessed the python’s behavior upon arrival. He noted that the snake appeared non-aggressive and seemed to be trying to escape.
“They’re not good climbers at this size,” Hart explained. “So the fact that she was elevated told me that she was definitely trying to get away.”
Joseph Hart, 24, a reptile hunter, sprang into action last week to remove a 16-foot python that was slithering around a dumpster at a Los Angeles apartment building. (Instagram / @reptile.hunter)
Hart described the process of removing the 65-pound female snake as challenging due to her strong muscles. With some strategic repositioning and help from bystanders in moving the dumpster, he successfully extracted the snake from the container.
The video then shows the python, later named ‘Apples’ by Hart, wrapped around the reptile hunter as he interacts with onlookers.
“I was handling her quite roughly by tightly holding her neck and head, which I don’t like doing with any creature,” Hart shared. “I apologized to her, and at that moment, bystanders realized she meant no harm, allowing me to educate them about the animal.”
The large reptile also had a mouth infection, which may have been the reason why she had been abandoned in the container in the first place, according to Hart. (Instagram / @reptile.hunter)
Hart noted that the snake had a mouth infection, speculating that this could have been the reason she was left in the dumpster. He expressed sadness at the situation, believing that the snake’s previous owner likely cared for her but struggled with the medical issue, leading to the abandonment.
Hart, who is also a wildlife rehabilitator, shared that his passion for reptiles began at a young age, fueled by a fascination with dinosaurs and wildlife TV shows.
“I feel like I have the best job in the world right now,” he said. “I love it.”
