Hunter shoots massive python to free deer from reptile’s death grip

OCHOPEE, FLORIDA — It’s not often you see a hunter saving a poor defenseless animal, but that’s exactly what this Miami man did after seeing a deer in need.

The Naples Daily News reports that hunter Jimmy Wilson had been hiking in Everglades swamplands near Ochopee when he stumbled upon a massive python wrapped around a white-tailed deer. Both animals were still as he came up and took a video on his phone.

Wilson then took his gun and shot at the snake, causing it to slither away. He fired a few more shots, eventually killing the enormous predator. Turning his attention to the deer, he coaxes it to move and run off, which it soon does.

Pythons are a big problem in South Florida. The snakes have been overrunning the swamplands and upsetting the balance of the Everglades ecosystem.