Durham, N.C. — During a weekly foraging expedition, a Durham man found two baby ball pythons locked in a terrarium.
Reid Stansell was foraging near the Duke Forest area Thursday morning.
“I like to hunt mushrooms and forage for things, you know, it could be anything, flowers, plants, berries,” he said.
During his hike, he came across a plastic terrarium.
“Not something you see very often, so I was curious to go check it out,” Stansell said.
That’s when he found two baby ball pythons.
“It’s just sad to see people abandoning pets,” Stansell said.
Stansell said adopting the snakes wasn’t an option for him.
“I don’t know how to feed them, or anything like that, so I didn’t want to take them home,” he said.
He called Be Wild Reptile Rescue, a local non-profit.
Nicole D’Avignon is a future veterinary student, and the current co-Executive Director of Be Wild. She said they take in exotic pets, abandoned animals and strays. They’ve re-housed about 350 animals over the last four years.
D’Avignon said ball pythons are a commonly kept pet. They can get three to five feet long and they’re not venomous.
“They’re not big enough to hurt people or pets,” she said. “They’re only a threat to you if you’re a mouse or a rat.”
The two found by Stansell are about a year old. D’Avignon says they were lucky to have been found and they’ll likely recover.
“Never just abandon your animals out door. It’s a death sentence for them,” she said. “These animals are from Africa. They’re not from North Carolina.”
The two snakes are now named after mushrooms, a tribute to their foraging finder: Chanterelle and Morel.
Be Wild Reptile Rescue has dozens of animals up for adoption, including the two snakes rescued on Thursday. You can access the application on their website here.
Source: https://www.wral.com/mushroom-forager-rescues-abandoned-baby-ball-pythons-in-durham/20302168/