2 FOOT LONG PYTHON SNAKE DISCOVERED AT LOUISA EXXON 
MAY 15, 2017 – written by WADE QUEEN
It’s not exactly snakes on a plane, but it was a different kind of snake that was found at a well-known gas station in Louisa over the weekend.
In our part of the country that is eastern Kentucky, you will find (whether you like it or not) all different kinds of snakes, such as black snakes, garden snakes, and even a copperhead. But the last thing one would expect you won’t find is a python slithering through the local grass vegetation.
On Saturday afternoon May 13, a group of workers at one of the Falls Creek area businesses were outside on a break at the gazebo area in a small grassy area between the Exxon station and McDonald’s, when they were unexpectedly caught by a shocking surprise.
They saw what appeared to be a bright brown looking snake. Fearing that the snake was a venomous snake, and that was a threat due to being in a congested area frequented by a lot of people, the workers called 911, who then contacted A-All Animal Control to come to the site and remove the snake properly.
After arriving at the scene, and after carefully capturing the snake, that was when after viewing the snake over the animal control wrangler made another surprising discovery:
It was a python. Luckily a small python that measure around 2 feet long, quite an innocent fellow considering a fair number of pythons species and genus snakes have been known to grow over 20 plus feet long and up to well over two hundred pounds.
“You know, I would have to say this is probably the first time,” says Brett Jenks with A-All Animal Control, of how many times he’s had a run in with a python.
It is a small mystery of how the snake got to be discovered at the vicinity of the Exxon station (commonly known by its local nickname “The Birdcage”), because pythons are not native to eastern Kentucky. In fact they are not even native to North America. Instead they are found in Asia, Africa, and even Australia.
Jenks believes it may have been somebody’s pet and they abandoned it.
Abandonment of pythons as pets has become a problem across the country, especially southern Florida, as some experts suggest that P. molurus and P. sebae python snakes have the potential to be problematic invasive species in South Florida.
The United States Department of Agriculture reports that only Python molurus bivittatus is an invasive species in the United States. In early 2016, after a culling operation yielded 106 of the animals, Everglades park officials suggested that “thousands” may live within the park, and that the species has been breeding there for some years. More recent data suggest that these pythons would not withstand winter climates north of Florida, contradicting previous research suggesting a more significant geographic potential range.
Jenks says he realizes there is a fear people have for snakes and he stresses that with the python he found there was no actual danger, however Mr. Jenks is taking the incident as an opportunity to educate the public on the difference between a venomous snake and a non-venomous snake.
“Typically you’re not going to see a whole lot of venomous snakes,” Jenks said. “Most of the snakes that you’re going to see are non-venomous. But if you do see markings, if you see a diamond shape head, the eyes on a venomous snake are diamond shape. A non venomous snake is going to have a small head and it’s gonna have circular eyes.”
Jenks warns there are some venomous snakes in our region such as copperheads, and even rattlesnakes in parts of West Virginia.
Jenks adds when coming in contact with a snake, do not try to remove it yourself, especially if you’re not sure of what kind of snake it is. Instead leave it to the professionals.
