WALTON COUNTY, Ga. — Georgia game wardens are again urging people not to release exotic animals into the wild after an invasive snake recently slithered up into a metro Atlanta man's yard.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources posted a picture of the snake on Friday explaining that its Urban Wildlife Program (UWP) had gotten a call about the creature being found - and killed - in Walton County.
The snake had been turned over to the local extension office who then called UWP to confirm it was a non-native species. That, in this case, would be an understatement.
The snake turned out to be a python which authorities suspect was a pet that got loose from its owners or was intentionally let got into the Georgia woods. The latter sometimes happens when the snakes grow too large for care. Ball pythons get up to about 4 to 5 feet long though others of the Pythonidae genus, like the Burmese Python, can grow up to 16 to 23 feet.
The one found in Walton County, which is shown sitting on a truck bed, appears to be in the three to four-foot range.
Their size and hunting ability make these snakes formidable predators in the wild - especially in places where they are free to roam without their native predators.
In fact, giant pythons have become an invasive species in Florida where the Associated Press reports they have established themselves in the wild.
That's one major reason why the DNR's Wildlife Resources Division wants to remind owners of these pets that releasing them in Georgia can have serious effects on the natural environment.
Kaitlin Goode, who manages UWP, told the Associated Press that it's unclear if the python could survive the winter in the northern reaches of Georgia. However, there is fear that they could establish themselves in the state - especially since this is far from the first sighting of me in Georgia.
The Associated Press points back to a WALB report from 2011 where one was caught in the wild near Albany, Georgia.
It's because of cases like this that the DNR is asking that people bring the pets they can no longer care for to a shelter or a rescue the group.
"Please do NOT release exotic animals," the state agency wrote.
