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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.
Dramatic video shows 24-year-old Joseph Hart — sporting just jeans and a T-shirt — sitting on the edge of the dumpster and inching toward the large reptile, before carefully working to detach the animal that was tightly gripping the garbage container’s rim.
Hart said he was doing computer work at a coffee shop earlier that day when he first received a call about a snake in a dumpster. Upon arrival at the building, Hart assessed the python’s temperament – noting the animal was not hostile and seemed like it had been trying to escape.
“They’re not good climbers at this size,” Hart told Fox News Digital. “… So the fact that she was elevated told me that she was definitely trying to get away.”
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.
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)
“She’s a very tame animal,” Hart said. “… It breaks my heart because this person most likely did take care of the snake, did love the snake and was just overwhelmed with the medical issue and decided to make a very poor decision about abandoning her.”
Hart, who also describes himself as a wildlife rehabilitator, said his passion for reptiles began at an early age, having had a strong interest in dinosaurs and wildlife TV shows.
“I have the best job in the world right now,” he said. “I love it.”