Reptile hunter climbs into apartment building dumpster to remove 16-foot python in Los Angeles
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."
Hart said removing the 65-pound, female snake was difficult because she was "pure muscle." But with some careful repositioning, and some assistance from bystanders with moving the dumpster away from the wall, he was able to successfully get the snake out of the container.
The video then shows the python, who Hart later named 'Apples,' wrapped around the reptile hunter as he speaks to bystanders.
"I was totally manhandling her and grabbing her neck and head very tight, which I don't enjoy doing with any creature," Hart told Fox News Digital. "I'm apologizing to her, and at that moment, I think the bystanders around realized that she meant no harm, and so I continued to educate the people about the animal."
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.
"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."
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