CITYNEWS (Toronto, Ontario) 28 March 08 Woman Lives With Python In Her Apt. For Two Months Without Knowing It
What is it with snakes in the news? On Tuesday, we told you about a Virginia man who reached into his luggage after an airline trip and was bitten by a rattlesnake that had somehow gotten inside.
Now comes an equally creepy story made even worse by the fact an unsuspecting woman was apparently living with a viper in her midst for months - and didn't even know it.
Her story really begins about 60 days ago, when the unnamed tenant moved into her new apartment in the city of Glen Burnie, Maryland. Things went along fine for two months and she was just settling in, when she decided to watch some TV last Sunday night. And that's when her attention was drawn from the screen to something moving not far from the stand her set was sitting on.
As she gaped in disbelief, a three foot python slowly slithered its way along the floor from out of nowhere and headed towards her. She immediately fled and called authorities, who called in experts to take the serpent away.
How did it get there? Cops believe the previous tenant may have left it behind and that it had been hidden in the apartment, living with the new tenant all this time, before finally making its presence known on the weekend.
Officials are now looking for the snake's owner. If he's not found within five days, the creature will be sent to an animal rescue organization.
The woman wasn't harmed but definitely got the fright of her life.
http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_21100.aspx

WMAR (Baltimore, Maryland) 27 March 08 Glen Burnie Woman Discovers Exotic Roommate (Jeff Hager)
Two months after moving into her new apartment, Sharon Calamia never noticed anything out of the ordinary… until her cat, Sveta, did.
"All the sudden I see my cat. She's in the living room looking towards the kitchen, and when cats get scared their hair stands up on end,” said Calamia, “She's doing the cat low crawl like backwards."
Backing away from what looked like a stick… until it moved… or rather “slithered”.
It turned out to be a four foot python.
Sharon says when an Anne Arundel County Animal Control Officer arrived, she got more than she bargained for. She was expecting a small snake of the garden variety.
"By the time she got here, it had worked its way from the kitchen back behind my entertainment center and wrapped itself around the cords. When she saw it she was kind of freaked out."
Whether a former tenant left the snake behind or it just crawled in to make itself at home, Sveta can’t help, but check occasionally to make sure it’s gone, and Sharon also can’t help, but wonder if the female snake may have left a companion or babies behind.
"I check every door... my closets... I will not walk around barefoot. My slippers are always on my feet, because I'm so freaked out that I might step on something."
http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=c018a822-c88c-4030-aa2b-c06127dfd62a