Photo of massive snake leads to public safety warning and search of Pennsylvania park
An unusual public safety warning was issued Thursday by Pennsylvania officials after someone spotted an alarmingly huge snake slithering around in a city park.
The Pittburgh Public Safety Department shared a photo showing it was several feet long and seen wound around a tree at Frick Park, the city’s largest park at 644 acres.
“A witness stated the snake did not appear to be a native species. It is not yet verified as to what type of snake it is,” the department said in a release.
“Public Safety is warning the public, if you come across a large snake you are not familiar with, stay (a)way and immediately notify police.”
Pittburgh Animal Care & Control officers and park rangers were searching trails at the park for the snake, officials said.
The city’s social media posts racked up more than 3,000 shares, comments and reactions in just a few hours, including some people who said the snake was likely a native species that got exceptionally large.
The photo has also appeared on multiple snake identification sites, where experts seem to agree it’s not a threat to humans.
“This is a harmless (and native) gray ratsnake (Pantherophis spiloides). Absolutely no harm at all to people,” wrote Alex Paluzzi, administrator of the 213,000-member Snake Identification Facebook group.
Gray rat snakes are not venomous, can exceed 8 feet and are native to Pennsylvania, Paherps.com reports. The species is considered the state’s largest snake and a heavy bodied species, the site says.
