Shortly after the movie "Snakes on a Plane" hit theaters, five pet snakes were confiscated on the plains of Montana, according to a spokesman for U.S. Custom and Border Protection.
Mike Milne said customs officers seized five snakes Monday at the Sweet Grass and Coutts, Alberta, entry point into Canada.
"They weren't baby snakes, they were full grown," Milne said. "They were several feet long."
A 24-year-old U.S. citizen was attempting to enter Canada by car with five slithering critters in pillowcases when Canada Border Service Agency officers stopped the man, a CBP news release stated.
Three Ball Pythons, also known as Royal Pythons, and two Red-Tail Boa Constrictors are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Milne said the owner of the snakes did not have the proper permit for exporting the reptiles to another country. He was not charged but was given the choice of returning home to get the proper permit, storing the animals with a veterinarian at the border, or turning them over.
The man, who was in a hurry to get to Canada, chose to abandon the snakes, according to Milne and a CBP release.
Milne, who in 28 years with the customs agency has never encountered snakes as a seized commodity, said the animals were turned over to the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks, which placed them in a shelter.
"In this case it worked out well," Milne said. "The snakes will find a good home."
He added that while officers are trained to seize many items at this country's longest border, snakes are not one of them.
"We pretty much handled the paperwork and Fish and Wildlife handled the snakes," he said, laughing.
Link
Linear Mode
