A trespasser in Robinson Preserve in Bradenton was caught red -- tailed.
"This is a red-tailed boa constrictor. They don't typically get as big as this one," said Damen Hurd of Wildlife Inc.
Two park rangers spotted the snake sunning itself on the side of a ditch bank Monday. They caught the 8-foot boa and gave it to Hurd.
"I would guess that it was dumped since it was on park property and people tend to dump a lot of pets on park properties because they think it's a nice place for them to live," Hurd said.
"It is scary, I am glad they got it," said Jack Meridith who was visiting the preserve with his son. "My son's like three-and-a-half feet big so..."
This type of boa isn't typically aggressive, but it could be a threat to kids.
"It's not going to eat them but there's a potential that it could prevent a child from breathing," Hurd said.
The larger scale threat is to native wildlife. With no natural predators, it could decimate populations of native mammals and birds.
Hurd says boas should be placed under the same permitting program that larger, and more dangerous Burmese pythons are in Florida.
"And I think there should be a microchipping program as well," Hurd said.
There are no known breeding populations of boa constrictors in this part of the state, but it is fairly common to find former pets slithering around.
"They can survive here if they want to," Hurd said.
This snake will be kept by Hurd and used by his "Wildlife Inc." organization for educational purposes.
