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Giant Rattlesnake Slithers Its Way Into St. Augustine Townhouse Community

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The trappers who caught and killed a giant rattlesnake in St. Johns County said the snake was 7 feet 3 inches long.Experts said it’s one of the biggest rattlesnakes they’ve ever seen.The rattlesnake slithered its way into Tuscany Village, a St. Augustine townhouse community, over the weekend.

Someone spotted the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, now being called Rattzilla, near homes off State Road 16 and Interstate 95 and called police.Police then called Brandon Booth, a professional trapper. Booth said that when he pulled up, he realized how big and dangerous the rattler was.

“When I got there, I looked at it and said, ‘That’s bigger than 6 feet,’” Booth said. “I didn’t have time to really think. I just jumped out of the truck with my gig and got him. He wasn’t going to get away.”Booth said he had no choice but to kill the venomous snake because there were lots of people around and a venomous snake that big could easily kill someone.He said he usually won’t kill a snake unless it’s venomous.”I wasn’t going to let him get away, so I just went ahead and did what I had to do,” Booth said. “There’s a lot of kids in that neighborhood and even adults, so I figured it was the best thing to do. I’m not a snake wrestler.”Right now, the snake is sitting in Booth’s freezer until he decides what to do with it. The snake was frozen after it was killed and shrunk considerably in size because the muscles were no longer relaxed.

Heather Hart, who lives in the community, was stunned when she saw pictures of the snake. She has two small dogs and said they could have easily been eaten by the rattler.”Are you serious?” she said. “That is crazy.”Booth said it is hard to tell in Florida when the next big rattler might show up.”They’re out there, but it’s unusual to actually get the call to get one this big,” Booth said.Experts said Eastern Diamondbacks are only between 3 and 6 feet long on average.