A woman living in Freehold, New Jersey, was spending some time with her flowers when she stumbled upon a backyard surprise.
It wasn’t a stray cat or a raccoon that she laid eyes on. It was an eight-foot exotic python with a stomach so full it needed an X-ray.
Authorities believe it was likely someone's pet in the neighborhood as the species is not native to the area.
Highlights
- Leslie Daley was watering her flowers when she stumbled upon a terrifying backyard surprise.
- An eight-foot Burmese python was found hiding beneath a New Jersey family’s shed.
- An X-ray revealed the massive meal the snake had before it was rescued.
- Authorities believe the creature may have been someone’s exotic pet because the species is not native to New Jersey.
A New Jersey woman was watering her flowers when she stumbled upon a backyard surprise
The massive 40-pound Burmese python was spotted with a swollen belly in a Freehold backyard.
The creature had found a home in the residence of Leslie and Edward Daley, under the floor of their shed.
Leslie spoke about the moment she saw the reptile slithering through her backyard.
“I was watering my flowers last Friday around 4, and I saw something yellow moving very slowly across the front of my shed,” Leslie Daley told CBS News. “And then his tail was 8 feet behind him.”
Soon, animal control officers with the Monmouth County SPCA arrived at the scene and began efforts to capture the snake.
A Burmese python with a massive mid-section was found lurking under the floor of the family’s shed
A local contractor was also contacted to remove the floorboards so that officers could safely reach the animal.
Footage online captured the moment the python was carefully removed from the scene by Scott Crawford, who works with the Monmouth County SPCA.
“At that point, you now, I was safe to grab the head, pick him up, and get him into a transport carrier," Crawford told the outlet.
Eventually, Veterinary staff at the Monmouth County SPCA examined the snake and took X-rays, which unraveled the mystery of the snake’s swollen midsection.
The snake’s last meal before it crawled into the Daleys’ home was confirmed by the veterinarians.
“X-rays showed he had eaten a possum,” read the text in a video shared by Monmouth County SPCA.
“X-rays showed he had eaten a possum,” read the text in a video shared by Monmouth County SPCA
Some reports, however, say that it was an opossum found in the snake’s big belly.
Possum and opossum are two different groups of marsupials. Opossums are native to the Americas, while possums are primarily found in Australia and other regions nearby.
“We took care of him for a couple of days, and now he’s off to a proper home,” the Monmouth County SPCA added.
Officials believe the rescued Burmese python was someone’s pet because the species are indigenous to Southeast Asia and not native to New Jersey or the US Northeast.
“The Burmese python has been placed with a snake expert with the proper permits and enclosure,” the Monmouth County SPCA said.
“If no permitted owner comes forward, he will have a permanent place to live happily!”
Animal control officers suspect that the snake might have been someone's pet in the neighborhood
The Monmouth County SPCA used the incident to warn residents about the dangers of not handling exotic pets properly.
“Exotic pets do NOT belong in the wild!” they said before noting that releasing them can harm the animal itself as well as the domestic pets and wildlife in the area.
“If you can no longer care for a reptile, please reach out to a local rescue or shelter instead,” they added.
Dr. Samantha Mammen of the Monmouth County SPCA said the entire ordeal would have been “an incredibly stressful event” for the rescued Burmese python.
“This is not a native species to New Jersey. So it was likely someone's pet,” she added.
Mammen also said the snake was in a “good body condition.” It was an appropriate color and did not appear dehydrated when vets examined it, she noted.
Dr. Samantha Mammen said the ordeal would have been “an incredibly stressful event” for the rescued python
Crawford, who safely caught the creature from the Daley family's backyard, urged animal owners to reach out to their local shelter or any licensed rescue organization if they feel like they can no longer take care of such animals.
He said there is a population of people in the area who own such creatures.
In the case of the python he recently rescued, Crawford mentioned different possibilities that may have led to its discovery under the shed.
“Whether it’s because they don’t have the proper permit or they feel it’s gotten too big for them to take care of, like in this situation, we suspect they dumped him out,” he said.
The Burmese python, one of the largest species of snakes, is capable of reaching 23 feet or more in length and can weigh up to 200 pounds. They mainly survive by preying on small mammals and birds, and attacks on humans are extremely rare.
In New Jersey, pythons are among the exotic creatures that can be kept as pets with the right permit to possess. The rules can vary considerably elsewhere in the country, so prospective owners need to check both state and local regulations before acquiring one.
“So I just won’t go outside anymore cool,” one commented online
