Police: Albino python found in Ross park 1 of 5 snakes released by owner; 4 remain at large

An albino python isn’t something usually seen slithering through the grass in Ross.

But that’s what was discovered Tuesday evening near the baseball diamond in Ross Community Park, where the township held its annual Fourth of July celebration.

“One of our officers who responded to the call is familiar with snakes so he was able to wrangle it,” Lt. Matthew Grubb said. “He’s braver than me. I wouldn’t want to touch it.”

Officers nicknamed the 3-foot snake “Naners” and turned it over to Sara’s Pets and Plants in Sharpsburg, which plans to put it up for adoption.

“‘Naners will be staying at Sara’s for a little while to make sure he is in tip-top shape and has a clean bill of health,” police wrote in a post on Facebook.

Sara Smith, who owns the pet store, said the snake appears to be in good health. She said they are required to hold it for at least 14 days to allow the owner time to claim the pet.

Grubb said the albino python isn’t the only snake that was set loose in the woods.

The man who released the python between the municipal building off McKnight Road also released a 7-foot-long rat snake, which is native to Pennsylvania; a 7-foot bredli python; and two juvenile ball pythons that are each about 1.5 feet long, the lieutenant said.

Grubb said the man, whose name has not been released, told police he released the snakes because he no longer could afford to feed them.

Police still are trying determine what, if any, charges could be filed in connection with releasing snakes since pythons could pose a danger to people.

Pythons are nonvenomous, but the snakes can be dangerous because they are constrictors, according the U.S. Geological Survey.

The federal agency said human fatalities from constrictor snakes are very rare, with only one or two deaths reported a year worldwide.

A 5-foot-long python is not long enough to wrap around an adult; however, it could harm a baby or small child by wrapping around their necks and constricting, according to the website A-Z Animals.

In 2012, an Irwin girl was strangled after a 10-foot-long Burmese python she was playing with wrapped itself around her neck and constricted until she lost consciousness.

In 2019, an autopsy determined that an Indiana woman found with an 8-foot-long python wrapped around her neck was killed by the reptile.

Pythons are native to Africa, Asia and Australia, but a number of species end up in the United States because they are popular as pets, according to authorities.

Anyone who spots the snakes that were released in Ross is asked to 911.

Grubb said police typically get several calls a year about snakes.

“Most of the time, it’s just one that made its way out of the woods onto someone’s property, and the officers have no problems relocating it,” he said.

Snakes also are more visible as the temperatures rise during spring and summer because they are on the move, according to authorities.

Most of the 21 species of snakes found in Pennsylvania are harmless to people and beneficial for the environment.

However, three native species —timber rattlesnakes, the eastern massasauga rattlesnake and the northern copperhead — are venomous.

Last year, police in Duquesne warned people to be cautious while outside after a pet python that was between 5 and 7 feet long escaped from its owners.

In 2019, police in Morgantown charged a man after a 15-foot python escaped from his truck the previous night.

In April 2021, Pittsburgh officials were on the hunt for what people described as a terrifyingly large snake in Frick Park that they thought was nonnative to Pennsylvania.

The search was called off after reptile specialists at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium determined it was a nonvenomous black rat snake that is native to the area.