PATRIOT NEWS (Pennsylvania) 10 September 03 Python squeezed out from behind staircase (Irvin Kittrell III)
Reptiles usually found in the tropics seem to find the Harrisburg area appealing.
Yesterday, a 6-foot-long python weighing about 20 pounds was captured in the 3600 block of North Fourth Street in Susquehanna Twp. It had been hiding behind the cement front stairs of George Johns since Friday.
Township firefighters used fire equipment to move the stairs as Elaine Gruin of ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park used a snake pole to pull out the reptile. In all, it took nearly 41/2 hours to capture the snake.
"I didn't panic," Johns said about the first time he saw the snake. "I don't mind it, but everybody else gets upset. He sticks his head up in the afternoon."
Amanda Fansler of All Species Rescue in the 3600 block of North Sixth Street said she believes the snake was dropped off outside the shelter. But, she said, the snake's owner never told the shelter when the snake was being brought in and it apparently escaped, she said.
The snake was spotted Friday by a postal carrier who was delivering mail at Johns' home, Fansler said.
A neighbor of Johns' said he was sitting on his porch when the mail carrier saw the snake. The man did not want to give his name.
"I heard a scream," the man said. "She said, 'My goodness there's a big snake.'"
The carrier grabbed him by the hand and took him to the spot about three doors from his home. The mail carrier said she stepped over the snake while looking at mail.
Fansler was called and she arrived at Johns' porch. Fansler reached behind the cement stairs and grabbed the snake by the tail. The snake, however, was able to break free, she said.
Susquehanna Twp. Chief Robert Martin said the fire department was called in as a public service. He said because the snake was an exotic animal, it posed a threat to residents.
Plus, the chief said, capturing the snake provided firefighters with useful training.
"This was good training for a lot of our young firefighters," he said.
Once caught, the snake was placed in a white cloth bag. It was given to Fansler, who said she will house the snake until she can find a new home for it.
Neighbors quickly tried to come up with a name for the wayward snake. But their names didn't catch on as fast as the name given to Little Toni, the 30-inch alligator captured July 23 in Italian Lake in Harrisburg.
Little Toni is staying in ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park. Gruin said the little gator is "eating very well" but remains under quarantine.
Python squeezed out from behind staircase