MASSACHUSETTS -- An 11-foot python put a downtown Plymouth neighborhood on edge this week before its dramatic capture behind a South Street home.
The pet snake bit one neighborhood resident in the leg before an Environmental Police officer grabbed it by the neck in bushes off Doten Lane and shoved it into a cage.
The snake, a Burmese python named 'Al', escaped from a house at 6 South St. late Sunday afternoon.
The pet snake bit one neighborhood resident in the leg before an Environmental Police officer grabbed it by the neck in bushes off Doten Lane and shoved it into a cage.
The snake, a Burmese python named 'Al', escaped from a house at 6 South St. late Sunday afternoon.
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| Local police officers watch over the python after it was discovered on a dirt lane off South Street in Plymouth |
Owner Scott McLaughlin said the snake wandered off when he let him out for air.
It was spotted on South Street once on Monday, but remained on the slither until early Tuesday afternoon, when neighborhood residents started spreading alerts.
South Street resident Andrea Schrader had just warned a neighboring family about the python when the father, a man named Jerry, spotted the snake coiled up in bushes beside a fence between their back yards.
“He said, ‘There it is. There it is,’” Schrader said.
Schrader tried to alert the owner and in the interim, the snake bit Jerry in the back of the leg.
It was spotted on South Street once on Monday, but remained on the slither until early Tuesday afternoon, when neighborhood residents started spreading alerts.
South Street resident Andrea Schrader had just warned a neighboring family about the python when the father, a man named Jerry, spotted the snake coiled up in bushes beside a fence between their back yards.
“He said, ‘There it is. There it is,’” Schrader said.
Schrader tried to alert the owner and in the interim, the snake bit Jerry in the back of the leg.
Calls for help brought police and then hordes of reporters and neighbors to the shady Doten Lane behind the old fire station and across from 6 South St.
Local officers watched the snake until Environmental Police Officer Bill Costello arrived with a small cage and two large hands.
Costello simply stepped on the snake’s head and then grabbed it by the neck. The snake coiled around Costello’s arm until he managed to drop it, snugly, into the cage.
Costello said the snake is relatively harmless and likely only bit Schrader’s neighbor because it felt threatened. The victim, who was taken to the hospital by ambulance, should be fine once the bite is disinfected, he said.
Local officers watched the snake until Environmental Police Officer Bill Costello arrived with a small cage and two large hands.
Costello simply stepped on the snake’s head and then grabbed it by the neck. The snake coiled around Costello’s arm until he managed to drop it, snugly, into the cage.
Costello said the snake is relatively harmless and likely only bit Schrader’s neighbor because it felt threatened. The victim, who was taken to the hospital by ambulance, should be fine once the bite is disinfected, he said.
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| Environmental Police Office Bill Costello carries an 11-foot python after capturing it |
Costello said Burmese pythons are legal pets in Massachusetts, so the snake would be returned to its owner.
By town bylaw, owners are supposed to register such snakes with the town as dangerous animals. Town officials said there are no registered snakes in Plymouth.
Costello said local police will address the apparent bylaw violation with McLaughlin. Town officials said there is a $100 fine for not registering the snake as a pet.
By town bylaw, owners are supposed to register such snakes with the town as dangerous animals. Town officials said there are no registered snakes in Plymouth.
Costello said local police will address the apparent bylaw violation with McLaughlin. Town officials said there is a $100 fine for not registering the snake as a pet.
Several residents expressed concerns about having the snake in the neighborhood. Some were also concerned police did not issue an alert.
McLaughlin said he normally keeps the snake in a tank near the window in his walk-out basement, but when it is nice out he occasionally lets the snake out to roam around a little.
McLaughlin said he normally keeps the snake in a tank near the window in his walk-out basement, but when it is nice out he occasionally lets the snake out to roam around a little.
McLaughlin said the snake may appear frightening to some but poses no threat.
The snake eats only once a month and had a meal about a week ago, he said.
The snake eats only once a month and had a meal about a week ago, he said.
“He loves to lay in low lying bushes and sleep. He is harmless, absolutely harmless,” McLaughlin said in an interview shortly before the snake’s capture. “I know a lot of people panic about snakes, but he’s been to school with my son. He’s a good guy.”
Some South Street neighbors were not convinced.
Monica Stroup said it was disconcerting to know her children play in an adjacent backyard. She was especially concerned after learning the snake had bitten one of her neighbors.
Schrader, who regularly walks her beagles right past the bushes were the snake was found, said it is frightening to think the snake could have attacked her dogs. She was equally concerned that nobody ever alerted neighbors.
(Wicked Local - July 18, 2012)
