Chris Coffee, the owner of the snakes, spoke to NBC6 about his anger over FWC killing his pythons. Kim Wynne reports
Warning: Some readers may find the details of this story disturbing.
Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were caught on video killing dozens of pythons and a pregnant boa constrictor at a reptile facility in South Florida.
The United States Association of Reptile Keepers (USARK) in Florida posted a 7-minute video online showing four officers killing the reptiles using what appears to be a nail gun.
USARK said the FWC officers killed 29 reticulated pythons and five Burmese pythons owned by a man named Chris Coffee, as well as a pet boa constrictor owned by a man named Bill McAdam.
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After the officers killed the pregnant boa constrictor, their reactions seen in the video may indicate that they immediately realized they had made a mistake. According to USARK, the 10-year-old pet boa was misidentified by the officers as a python.
"I can’t watch it. Those animals mean a lot to me," Coffee said of the video. "It’s like watching someone kill my kids."
Boas, which are legal to own in Florida, are among the most popular breeds of pet snakes. According to McAdam, the slaughtered boa was a cherished pet that he had raised since she was a baby.
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As for the 34 dead pythons, Coffee possessed them legally with a permit that the FWC made obsolete in 2021, according to USARK. Therefore, they say the snakes should have been grandfathered in and exempt from the new regulations.
USARK says after the rules banning the snakes were passed, Coffee was unable to rehome all of his pythons before the FWC deadline which was only a few months.
About a year ago, Coffee allegedly notified FWC that he was having difficulties rehoming his animals and asked for a time extension in an effort to remain on good terms with FWC.
However, according to USARK, FWC responded by raiding Coffee's facility, arresting him, and issuing him two charges for each python possessed, for a total of 72 criminal charges. USARK says that rather than seize the snakes, officers told Coffee that he had to keep them in captivity and that he could not rehome or euthanize them or else he would be arrested again.
Coffee's pythons were maintained at the facility of Bill McAdam in West Palm Beach, where the Apr. 6 visit occurred.
FWC said in a statement to NBC6 that the visit was "an attempt to determine if all reticulated pythons held at the facility were accounted for since an escaped or released reticulated python had been found in the general vicinity" the day prior.
However, USARK says the facility visit was an "unannounced raid" and "subsequent massacre." Although, according to the FWC, the officers had no intention of euthanizing the animals at the time.
Coffee allowed the officers into the facility, where USARK says they spent around four hours killing snakes, firing multiple shots to the heads of some snakes when it appeared that the first shots failed to kill them.
"My back was against a wall, there was nothing I could do," Coffee said.
"USARK Florida questions how FWC officers who are not competent enough to identify animals properly are empowered by the state to kill them," said Daniel Parker from USARK. "We believe that in instances where euthanasia is absolutely necessary, the animals should be identified by an expert and only euthanized by a qualified veterinarian using the most humane methods possible."
The organization is now calling on Governor DeSantis to hold FWC accountable by demanding the resignation of the FWC employee who gave the order for the killing of the snakes.
"It’s just horrific," said Parker. "It’s hideous. As an animal lover, even if it’s snakes or any kind of animal, to see animals treated like this is just unconscionable."
