Burmese python Ban

In March, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service banned the interstate transport of Burmese pythons—a kind of Mann Act for giant, awesome snakes. The reason: Pet pythons that go rogue have a habit of getting super huge, freaking out civilians, and generally disrupting ecosystems.

Gifford's assistant would crawl into a basket, his torso sticking out of the top. Gifford would drape a red cloth over him, which would then suddenly drop as if the body underneath had vanished. The magician would then ram four swords through the basket. Then he would extract the swords, reach inside and pull out a huge Burmese python.