No snakes on a plane: "Emotional support" boa constrictor discovered by TSA
A woman attempted to bring a 4-foot boa constrictor in a carry-on bag through a TSA checkpoint in Tampa International Airport last month, officials said.
TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said that a woman claimed the snake, named Bartholomew, was her emotional support animal, but after the airline was notified, it refused to let her have it on the plane.
Snake on a plane? This is a @TSA X-ray of Bartholomew, a boa constrictor who was in a traveler's carry-on bag at @FlyTPA last month. Woman claimed the snake was her emotional support pet. TSA notified the airline, which ruled that there was not going to be a snake on their plane! pic.twitter.com/kSg6YeRluU
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) January 6, 2023
The TSA posted on Instagram that airlines don't allow snakes in carry-on bags, and only a few will allow them in checked bags if the animal is packaged correctly.
In November, a cat was found in a carry-on bag at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The cat belonged to "someone else" the traveler lived with, TSA said.
The animal was unharmed and brought home, officials said.
Animals aren't the only strange find TSA agents have encountered. The agency even created a list of the 10 strangest discoveries, which include a gun found inside a raw chicken and fentanyl pills in candy wrappers.
The Transportation Department issued a ruling in 2020 that would no longer allow people to bring emotional support animals onto airplanes. Service animals, which the DOT defined as a dog trained to help a person with a disability, are still allowed on planes.