TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office has a slithering suspect in their custody.
Pictures shared hundreds of times on Facebook show Deputy Adam Bivens of the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office rescuing a feisty albino boa constrictor. Deputies responded to the call after a frightened neighbor saw it on the front porch.
On Aug. 29, deputies responded to a home near West 61st Street and South 161st West Avenue when a homeowner called about a six-foot snake trying to enter their home.
“He’s a little angry and irritable,” said Deputy Bivens of the snake. “We’re all bigger than it so it looks at us like a natural predator.”
“I own two ball pythons so I’m a little more comfortable with snakes when others aren’t,” said Bivens.
Bivens brought the snake to Lori Ensign, who has dedicated her life to Safari’s Sanctuary, the non-profit organization she runs that cares for numerous exotic animals like tigers and reptiles.
“That’s why we exist to take in animals that people can’t handle,” she said.
Ensign says it’s likely the snake escaped its enclosure, rather than was dumped, due to its value.
“They’ll be missing it,” she said. “Unless they were breeders and just had excess.”
She said many potential pet owners don’t realize how big some of these snakes can get until it’s too expensive to feed or house them. However, snakes like the one rescued by deputies wouldn’t survive in Oklahoma.
“The minute the cold hits for two or three days, it would get a respiratory infection and die,” said Ensign.
Deputies are hoping to find the snake’s owner, but the office has already received nearly two dozen calls from people trying to claim it. Now, they’re asking for proof, such as photos. Ensign says snakes have unique, identifiable markings.
TCSO told 2 News that they have located the owners of the snake.
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