9-foot snake found wandering loose in Iowa gets new home in Illinois
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A reticulated python nicknamed Sir Hiss-a-Lot was found in a resident's front yard in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The snake now has a new home in Illinois, as the species is illegal in Iowa. (Photo Credit: Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control/Facebook)
May 19 (UPI) -- A 9-foot reticulated python found wandering loose in an Iowa resident's front yard has a new home in Illinois.
Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control said the python, dubbed Sir Hiss-a-Lot by rescuers, was found in a resident's front yard on the morning of May 12.
Officials said they were unsure whether Sir Hiss-a-Lot escaped from his home or was abandoned.
"We can't confirm for sure if the python was abandoned, as it's entirely possible that it may have escaped some type of enclosure," Animal Care Manager Rae Smith told The Gazette newspaper. "But there is potentially some suspicion that it was abandoned, because in my experience, this is a rather common thing for people to do [when] they can no longer care for them."
Regardless of whether the snake escaped or was abandoned, reticulated pythons, native to southeast Asia, are not legal to keep as pets in Iowa.
Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control announced during the weekend that Sir Hiss-a-Lot is now on his way to a new home in Illinois, where the snakes are legal to keep as pets.
Smith said Sir Hiss-a-Lot will now be cared for by a partner organization, which she did not identify due to privacy concerns.
"They have experience with handling reptiles, and they actually have other reticulated pythons as well, so they're well aware of how to take care of them and the appropriate type of husbandry that this snake needs," she said.
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