400-pound pet python, 'Delilah,' seized in Florida

Weighing-in at a mere 400 pounds, 16 year old "Delilah" is an 18-foot-long Burmese python measuring 30 inches around. The pet python was seized on Friday by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials.

Delilah lived near Lake Apopka, Fla. with the Cheever family until Sept. 11 when her cage was deemed unsuitable according to the Orlando Sentinel. Melvin Cheever, the brother of Delilah's owner, has been caring for her since his brother moved to West Virginia. Cheever admits that in the past Delilah has escaped from her chain-link cage and wandered around. A complaint prompted Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials to remove the snake and arrange for her to be kept by a snake handler in Bushnell, Fla. pending determination of proper permit documentation by her owner. Cheever told the Orlando Sentinel, shortly after officials removed Delilah, "I fed her this morning, gave her seven rabbits. She is as docile as can be. She's as happy as can be." Lt. Rick Brown, with Fish and Wildlife's Investigations section, told the Orlando Sentinel, "To me it's a Goliath. It's a monster of a snake. The largest I've ever seen." After a 2-year-old girl in Fla. was killed by her family's pet snake in July, concerns were raised about Burmese python ownership in the state. Florida lawmakers are considering stricter laws for python owners. .