Venomous Snakes Mailed To Beaver Co. Post Office, Found Dead
BEAVER, Pa. (KDKA) -- It was declared as a box containing T-shirts. Instead, when officials at a Beaver County Post Office received a box from the Philippines, they found two venomous pit viper snakes inside.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating this incident. At this point, they will not say which of the 21 Beaver County Post Offices received the box of snakes.
It was addressed to a Beaver County home.
"I think it's bizarre," said Jerry Besong, from Leet Township, in Allegheny County.
He lives near the Beaver County line and stopped at the U.S. Post Office in Ambridge Friday afternoon.
"I think it's a little concerning that someone could do that," said Patty Work, who lives in Beaver County.
The snakes were dead when the box was opened, but officials believe the reptiles were alive when they were packaged. Four agencies responded to the incident, including representatives from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Southwest Regional Office and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
When officials investigating the incident went to the home the box was addressed to, they found more snakes. Officials haven't said what the person was planning to do with the snakes, had they survived the trip.
"Pretty dangerous snake, certainly not legal to send through the Post Office," said Henry Kacprzyk, the curator of reptiles at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium.
Kacprzyk says the snakes were most likely Asian viper snakes. Unlike most pit vipers found in North America, Asian pit vipers are small in size and generally live in trees. They're most like the eyelash pit vipers found in North America. Kacprzyk explained that pit vipers use thermolocation to seek out their prey.
"It can detect body heat in complete darkness, it can track, find its prey and strike at the proper distance--boom--and will inject venom," he said.
Kacprzyk added that Asian pit vipers are especially dangerous because there isn't a readily available anti-venom for them.
"Most hospitals in the United States have an anti-venom for snakes that you can find in the United States… bring in a snake from the Philippines, they don't carry that here," he said.
"Does it scare me? Yes, it scares me, but does it surprise me? No," said Michael Hawkins of Beaver County.
So far, no arrests have been made.
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