Taking My Leap
In 2019, I was a real estate broker with a very successful business that I had built over 13 years. When I learned that there was a python problem in Florida, I had to check it out because I have always had a fascination and passion for snakes and reptiles. I scheduled a Florida vacation to see what it was all about. I connected with professional python hunter, Donna Kalil, and went on a hunt where we caught a beautiful 9-foot python.
It was absolutely the best day ever and I was totally hooked!
Looking at this decision logically, it was ridiculous and insane. The python hunting program was a trial and no one could tell me if it was going to continue or if they would ever hire additional hunters. I didn’t have a job lined up. I didn’t know the area or where to hunt pythons. I didn’t know anyone, including the people I was going to live with.
In my heart, I knew it was what I needed to do. I was more sure of that than anything in my life. It was the best decision I have ever made and I am so grateful every day that I trusted my intuition and took that crazy leap.
Becoming the Python Huntress
When I made my move to Florida, I was one of the first one hundred hunters hired by the state. I have caught over 700 pythons, the biggest one being 17’3, 110 lbs. (by myself). I have raised close to $600,000 by donating hunts to charity auctions. I have been featured on TV programs, documentaries, magazine articles and podcasts, including the Today show, Fox and Friends, CNBC, Reader’s Digest and Time Magazine. I have started my own guiding business, taking people out on python hunts. Out of my love of snakes and a desire to make something good from their demise, I figured out how to use their skin to make leather products. I am also a public speaker and a published author.
I followed my passion and I am living my absolute best life as the Python Huntress, all because I took that leap.
Honoring These Spectacular Creatures
But... Why Snakes?
One thing people ALWAYS ask me is, ‘Why Snakes’? And I have to say…I have no idea. My fascination began when I was a little girl when my dad took me to a creek and showed me how to catch all kinds of critters. The snakes captured my imagination and turned into a passion.
I think of it like a musician who can naturally hear and play notes, or an interior decorator who can easily put together a room—it’s just how I was born. Sometimes I wonder why it couldn’t have been kittens or puppies or something a little more normal, but it’s snakes!
Snakes have always been a part of my world. I was a volunteer at the Toledo Zoo in college, a breeder, an educator, part of the exotic pet and veterinary industries, and I have traveled to many places to find, observe and enjoy them. Becoming a python hunter just seemed like a logical next step. I can finally use my passion as more than a hobby. I can help Florida with the invasion of the Burmese pythons.
The pythons are beautiful and fascinating and it’s not their fault they are here. Unfortunately, they have to be removed and there is no other option.
My Biggest Catch
I caught this giant girl by myself on a hot summer night. She was 17'3, weighed 110 pounds, and measured 24 inches around her belly. Even though she was huge, she wasn't a record, but she is my personal best so far! The record for the longest Burmese Python caught in Florida is 19’.
