Play backed up on the 10th hole at The Golf Club at Fiddler’s Creek in Naples, Fla. after golfers encountered an alligator and Burmese python locked in a struggle at the edge of a water hazard, with the snake twisted around the gator but the python’s head in the gator’s mouth. The animals stayed motionless for four hours as golfers played through after taking pictures. One man traveled from Iowa to play the course after seeing photos of the encounter on another player’s Facebook post. The gator eventually dragged the snake into the water.
A group playing at The Golf Club at Fiddler’s Creek in Naples, Fla. on January 12th ran into an interesting—and serious—hazard on the 10th hole, WKMG News 6 of Orlando, Fla. reported.
An alligator and Burmese python were locked in battle while golfers played nearby, WKMG reported. While the snake was twisted around the gator, the python’s tail was sitting right in the alligator’s mouth.
Although surprised, Dr. Richard Nadler and his friends decided to play through as the two creatures from the animal kingdom seemed more interested in themselves and not birdies or eagles.
Dr. Nadler took photos (https://www.clickorlando.com/news/weird-news/alligator-battles-python-on-florida-golf-course) and posted them on Facebook with the comment, “’Wild’ day on the 10th hole today! That’s an alligator and a Burmese python entwined. The alligator seems to have the upper hand.”
Nadler told television station NBC 2 of Fort Myers, Fla. that his first indication that something unusual might be happening on the hole came when he and his group encountered a backup while waiting to tee off on the 10th.
“We were asking them to please hurry up, because everyone was waiting to tee off,” Nadler said.
The group playing ahead of Nadler’s group “drove back to explain to us that it was actually an alligator and python entwined,” Nadler continued. “So that’s what everyone was taking pictures of and that’s what the backup was. So we drove towards the hole and we took a look at the animals and we took pictures and we continued with our golf game.”
While it hasn’t been uncommon to see alligators on the course, Nadler added, this particular scenario was different.
“In this particular golf course, there is a lot of wildlife,” he said. “It’s an absolutely beautiful course, with tons of wildlife. We don’t normally see these animals entwined or having a fight or fighting for their life or whatever, but in this case the alligator is wrapped with this python.”
“They were absolutely still,” he continued. “There was no grappling going on—nothing. The python’s head was in the mouth of the alligator and the alligator was just sitting there absolutely still with his eyes wide open and not moving. And he had all these golf carts and people around him taking photographs.”
Nadler said his Facebook post has received thousands of “shares” and comments from people across the country.
“It’s been crazy. I even turned off notifications but I’m still getting [them],” he told the Fort Myers station. “The comments that I read, it was very interesting to read them. And so many people thought it was fake and photoshopped. It was very funny.”
One man even traveled from Iowa after seeing the post to play at the course, NBC 2 reported.
“I saw the video in Iowa about the alligator with the python wrapped around it, and it was something. So I came right down to stay at Marco Island, and I’m going to go out tomorrow and play at Fiddler’s Creek,” Dan Becker told the station.
Becker added that he hoped to catch a glimpse of the gator, but planned to keep a safe distance.
But several people said that the “battle” had ended, with the alligator dragging the snake into the water.
“Apparently there was no intervention, and the next morning they were all gone and the assumption was that the alligator won and that was the end of it,” Nadler told NBC 2.
The television station reported that it had reached out to Fiddler’s Creek management and the club did not wish to comment. However, NBC 2 added, “we were told that security was on hand throughout the incident, which reportedly lasted for four hours, to make sure nobody got too close.”
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