Yatir Nitzany of Miami was riding his bike through Everglades National Park on April 1 when he saw a 10-foot-long Burmese python slithering across the path. There were children nearby, which raised safety concerns, but Nitzany was also worried for other reasons. As he explained in a Facebook post last week, he “felt a genuine obligation” to do something about the snake, which still had a bulge in its body from swallowing something — most likely a native critter.
After all, the Burmese python is Enemy No. 1 in the eyes of Florida wildlife managers. These giant invasive snakes are devastating the Everglades ecosystem by eating through the native food web without any natural predators to keep them in check. The state is now paying contractors to remove the snakes, and it hosts an annual hunting competition to raise awareness about the invasive python problem. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission allows (and even encourages) the public to humanely kill them when possible, with no bag limits or seasons and no hunting licenses required.
So, Nitzany wrangled and grabbed the python while onlookers stood back and watched. Then he flagged down a tram driver, who reportedly told Nitzany, “Good job,” and advised him to hold onto the snake until a park ranger could arrive.
“But instead of a ‘thank you,’ the moment the ranger arrived, he slapped me with a $180 fine because Everglades National Park is federal land!” Nitzany wrote in his post. “The ranger took the snake, eventually euthanized it, and left me with a big fine!”
Nitzany was cited for handling wildlife without a permit. The NPS gave him the option of paying the $180 fee and avoiding a court appearance.
Out of principle, Nitzany chose instead to challenge the citation in court. During the weeks leading up to the hearing, he was contacted multiple times by NPS officials, who threatened him with a federal bench warrant if he failed to appear in court.
“It was a clear scare tactic to force me into paying because they knew that enforcing a fine on someone for catching an invasive python can result in terrible publicity.”
On Friday Nitzany attended his hearing in federal court. He was joined there by supporter Ron Magill, a photographer, TV personality, and wildlife conservationist, who said he thought it was absurd for the federal agency to cite Nitzany under the circumstances.
“This man did a good thing, and now he’s being given a $180 citation for it? It’s wrong,” Magill told a local news channel Friday. “At the end of the day, for me, it’s common sense. Unfortunately, it’s not too common anymore these days.”
According to both Nitzany and NBC-6, the federal court had dismissed the case before Nitzany even walked into the courtroom. A prosecutor said the ticket was written incorrectly.
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“My goal now is to do what I can to change this law,” Magill said in a separate interview. “To make sure there is a caveat in this law so that people like Yatir aren’t punished for doing the right thing for the environment.”
Nitzany, for his part, says that even if federal laws remain unchanged, he would do the same thing again in a heartbeat.
“I messed myself up by asking for help,” Nitzany told reporters outside the courtroom Friday. “If I could have done things over again, I would have probably killed it and thrown it in the bushes.”