Posted on 06/07/2012 11:58:28 PM PDT by Theoria
It's the talk of at least one part of Columbia and it all started Tuesday with a phone call from a concerned neighbor.
Heathwood resident Andrew Philson got a call about a snake in his backyard and thought he'd be finding a small garter or black snake, but got the shock of his life when he saw the beast slithering up one of his trees.
That snake has slithered his way into the national spotlight. First, WIS, then CNN, Fox, even the Drudge Report. Why? Well, it's a big snake and who knows how long it had been sneaking -- or snaking -- around in Philson's backyard?
One thing Philson does know, the darn thing was huge. "I'm saying 15 to 20 feet long," he said.
Philson lost track of the snake shortly after taking the pictures, which have now shown up on TV monitors and web sites all over the world. They've also led to some criticism from people including South Carolina Department of Natural Resources snake expert Steve Bennett.
Bennett says it's a rat snake, plain and simple -- a common and useful creature and one that as far as anyone knows, never gets anywhere close to the size claimed by Philson.
"What happens is when people see these things, they are so shocked and probably scared, it changes their whole way of thinking," Bennett said.
Philson does not seem like someone prone to panic, even in the presence of an oversized reptile. A former state trooper, Philson recently served a tour of military duty in Afghanistan.
"I know that when I testified in court in my previous job, that accuracy counts," Philson said.
"People who are otherwise fairly honest and you know, straightforward people, will see something like that and just automatically overestimate and exaggerate the size of it," Bennett said. "It's just human nature.
A wildlife removal company is planning to conduct an all-out search for the snake on Thursday.
The answer to your problem with roaches is cured by obtaining a gecko, lizard or chameleon.
In South Florida I found that one could be roach free as long as you had one or more of these around your house, in or out.
Strange, that. I never found a live Palmetto bug in my house, but I did find a few that my cats annoyed to death. They do have very individual personalities. (The cats, not the Palemtto bugs.)
The size of those incredible ears! How many channels does he get?
I’m hoping he’ll be able to alert you to *Alice’s frequency*...and earn his keep. :)
Unfortunately it’s eating more than rodents....rabbits, CATS, small dogs, ducks, birds, squirrels, Possum, raccoons( YAY!) and possibly a small child! That guy should of called authorities right away before it got away. If someone or someones pet gets killed, he should be held accountable.
Wow...how old is that tree?
For all the hysteria, it’s just a rat snake. Nothing bigger than a baby bunny is in danger.
*slurp!*
I’m late to the party and missed what I did now... :0)
Is June the full idiot moon?
If I were a baby bunny, I’d rather be quickly killed and eaten by a snake than mercilessly skinned alive and left to slowly die by a cat.
[yeah, I’ve seen it]
Every moon is the full idiot moon.
I guess I should go outside and look up.
Might explain some things.
:)
Oh how cool! You joined the Kitteh Klub. And did so by posting a black cat in post 13 of a thread about snakes. LOL.
My favorite was a solid black kitty I named Merlin, a mellow fellow who even liked riding in the van with Mommy or hanging out chatting with the guy at the animal shelter. He didn’t go nuts, simply stretched and walked out of the cage into my arms like “Where ya been Mom?” and then did those silly “scratch me here” undulations as we stood talking for a while.
I still miss that sweet Merlin of mine.
Enjoy your Renfield, he looks like a real keeper. :o)
Mind the idiots. ;^)
“Oh how cool! You joined the Kitteh Klub. And did so by posting a black cat in post 13 of a thread about snakes. LOL.”
I sure know how to make an entrance....LOL
I’m the same way...except for yellow jackets and wasps.
Once had a baby possum show up in the living room...lookin sad. Put it outside...and it came right back in. Almost ended up with a pet possum...lol.
That's not true. That's impossible!"
Seriously, he is adorable!
(Just don’t tell anyone in the canine community I said that. ;-) )
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