Current:Home > MyAn unwanted shopping partner: Boa constrictor snake found curled up in Target cart in Iowa-InfoLens
An unwanted shopping partner: Boa constrictor snake found curled up in Target cart in Iowa
View Date:2024-12-23 16:48:16
A Target customer in Sioux City, Iowa was in for a surprise when they pulled out a cart and found a boa constrictor coiled up in it.
Lindsay Alvarez, a resident of Sioux City, posted a picture of the snake in the Target cart on social media, writing that her daughter spotted "this little guy at Target" on August 13. She did not specify which Target store the snake was found at.
A Target representative, in an email to USA TODAY, confirmed that the snake was indeed found at a store in the city and said that their team acted quickly and animal control removed it from the property.
Harrison Ford's snake:'We probably would’ve been friends,' Harrison Ford says of new snake species named for him
While it is not yet clear how the snake made its way to Target, authorities believe the reptile may have gotten inside the store after it stowed away outside in a cart which was then taken into the store. Cindy Rarat, manager of the Sioux City Animal Adoption and Rescue Center told USA TODAY they assume the boa may have either come from an apartment complex close by, escaped from a car or been left by someone.
"We're not exactly sure how it came to be there," Rarat said
The animal was later taken to the Sioux City Animal Adoption and Rescue Center, where it is currently housed. Rarat said that the 4-and-a-half-foot-long snake has been taken care of, is well-fed and is in good health.
Unclaimed
A spokesperson at the facility told USA TODAY that no one has come forward to claim the animal and that a herpetologist from Lincoln, Nebraska has volunteered to take the snake. The herpetologist, who is also a professor, intends to keep it for educational purposes in a classroom. The herpetologist will be collecting the animal on Saturday from the facility, once the seven-day waiting period for claiming the animal ends, the spokesperson said.
Sioux City laws do not allow residents to keep constrictors as pets and if someone comes forward to claim the animal, they will have to show proof of ownership and house the snake outside city limits.
Pet alligator:Gator in 'deplorable' state rescued by landscapers from creek in Pennsylvania
Preferred pets
Native to Central and South America, boa constrictors typically do not attack humans, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. They are non-venomous and kill their prey by strangling them, as their name suggests. They can live up to 20 years.
Boa constrictors are popular as pets as they are relatively undemanding, as long as their large adult size and space needs are accounted for, as per the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. In some areas, these reptiles are used to control rodent and opossums populations.
Target recall:2.2 million Threshold candles recalled; at least 1 injured
veryGood! (72153)
Related
- DWTS’ Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten Have the Best Reaction to Fans Hoping for a Romance
- Man charged with killing 3 relatives is returned to Pennsylvania custody
- Here’s Everything You Need To Build Your Dream Spring Capsule Wardrobe, According to a Shopping Editor
- Chinese signatures on graduation certificates upset northern Virginia police chief
- 5-year-old boy who went missing while parent was napping is found dead near Oregon home, officials say
- 'New Mr. WrestleMania' Seth Rollins readies to face 'the very best version' of The Rock
- Score 80% off Peter Thomas Roth, Supergoop!, Fenty Beauty, Kiehl's, and More Daily Deals
- Rebel Wilson on the sobering secrets revealed in her memoir, Rebel Rising
- Fantasy football waiver wire: 10 players to add for NFL Week 11
- New rule strengthening federal job protections could counter Trump promises to remake the government
Ranking
- The Masked Singer's Ice King Might Be a Jonas Brother
- Nebraska lawmaker who targeted a colleague during a graphic description of rape is reprimanded
- 9 children dead after old land mine explodes in Afghanistan
- Caitlin Clark and Iowa fans drive demand, prices for Final Four tickets
- FanDuel Sports Network regional channels will be available as add-on subscription on Prime Video
- Victoria Justice Shares Coachella Essentials and Plans for New Music
- New York adulterers could get tossed out of house but not thrown in jail under newly passed bill
- Victoria Justice Shares Coachella Essentials and Plans for New Music
Recommendation
-
South Carolina lab recaptures 5 more escaped monkeys but 13 are still loose
-
Kansas’ governor and GOP leaders have a deal on cuts after GOP drops ‘flat’ tax plan
-
Man cuffed but not charged after Chiefs Super Bowl Rally shooting sues 3 more lawmakers over posts
-
The Global Mining Boom Puts African Great Apes at Greater Risk Than Previously Known
-
FanDuel Sports Network regional channels will be available as add-on subscription on Prime Video
-
Mayoral candidate shot dead in street just as she began campaigning in Mexico
-
Tom Felton Reveals Which Scene He Wishes Made It Into Harry Potter
-
A former Houston police officer is indicted again on murder counts in a fatal 2019 drug raid