Owner of Renegade South Jersey Snake Comes Forward, Easing Area Fears
By David Madden
VILLAS, N.J. (CBS) -- Last week we told you about concerns in a small South Jersey shore community about a snake on the loose.
Now, residents of the Villas, in Lower Township (Cape May County) are learning they can relax.
Officials say they have tracked down the owner of the snake, which turns out to be a red-tailed boa. Township manager Michael Voll says the snake owner won't be charged with a crime.
"He came forward because he was afraid he would get in trouble. About three to four weeks ago, he claims, he had a little too much to drink in his backyard and he had one of the snakes, and it got loose," Voll says.
The snake caused quite a scare after a neighbor snapped a picture of the snake, in a tree, eating a seagull.
Voll says it put what he called the "fear of God" into the locals.
But, as it turns out, red-tailed boas won't eat small kids or pets. In fact, once the cooler weather sets in, it will more than likely die if it isn't caught first.