Gizmo, a Shih Tzu and Teddy a Poodle/Shih Tzu mix, dashed
to the side yard to sniff out a large, shiny dark object.
"I wasn't thinking what it was, because it was so
large," said Remsberg, who trailed behind her dogs.
A nine-foot-long green anaconda reared its head, veering
toward the two pooches.
"It raised its head up like it ... like snapping at
them ... like lurching at them to make them back off," Remsberg said.
"I started screaming for the dogs right away."
Teddy hurried back into the house. Gizmo was still curious,
brave or something else.
"He's the not-so-smart one," Remsberg said.
Remsberg dialed 911.
"I did not know what it was," she said. "I
knew it was not good. I was just screaming, 'There's just this huge, huge
snake!'"
Her neighbor thought it was a python.
He brought a shovel over to hold the snake down until
officers could respond. He placed the snake in a container with a lid and a
piece of concrete over the top to keep it trapped inside. Then, he took the
snake to his yard.
Brevard County Animal Services secured the snake,
ultimately handing the situation over to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission.
Officers took the snake to a veterinary facility, which
euthanized the snake, for research purposes.
Wildlife officers are trying to determine where the snake
came from, said Greg Workman, spokesman for the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission.
They did not find the legally required microchip in the
snake, he said.
"Basically, it wasn't there legally," Workman
said. "They're a top predator. They get huge. They can really decimate an
area."
It's the second anaconda to pop up in Brevard County, Fla.,
in the past few months.
In late November, state wildlife officers shot and killed a
9-foot-long green anaconda near the St. Johns River at the Brevard – Orange
County line.
Green anacondas are native to South America and can grow to
more than 500 pounds and 20 feet long. In Florida, the snake poses a risk to
native wildlife.
Remsberg, a real estate agent at SunCoast Real Estate
Group, is living in the home temporarily, awaiting a new home to be completed.
The snake's removal was a relief, especially to Gizmo,
Teddy and the four chihuahuas next door.
"It was definitely crazy," Remsberg said.
