Missing pet snake found in Tunkhannock

TUNKHANNOCK, WYOMING COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A large snake slithered away from its home. The 13-foot-long Boa went missing Saturday leaving its owner worried and a community concerned.

28/22 News Reporter Gianna Galli was the only journalist there early Sunday evening when the super-sized snake was finally found.

The 13-foot long red tail boa was missing for almost an entire day.

Great efforts from neighbors and others went into finding the big snake which turned out to be a lot closer to home than expected.

Lizzie, a roughly 13-foot-long Red Tail Boa, is no longer on the lam.

CDE Exotic Reptile Specialists pulled her out from beneath a neighbor’s shed Sunday evening nearly 24 hours after she went missing from her owner’s Pine Street home in Tunkhannock

“I’m just glad and very thankful that they found her,” said Lizzie’s owner, Lori Birk.

Birk said Lizzie slithered away Saturday evening from her front porch. Birk tells 28/22 News her boa likes to hang on the railing to catch some sun.

“The snake has been like a child to them. It’s very unusual to have her escape because they are always taking care of her,” said Next door Neighbor Kathy Saunders.

Herpetologist Cameron English and his team got the call around 5:00 p.m. on Sunday closed up shop in Wilkes-Barre and showed up at the Birks’ home a short time late.

It’s what the next-door neighbor then told English that made for a very fast rescue.

“The neighbor said hey the cats usually go under my shed but they didn’t last night so I darted over there, and I looked underneath all the areas I could and finally saw her little scale shed about four by four inches. We narrowed her down, tried to get her out, and eventually, we were able to prop it up a little bit and pull her out,” English explained.

“It was like the most marvelous thing,” said Kathy Saunders, a next-door neighbor.

Using a snake hook, a catch pole, and a large jack, the CDE crew brought Lizzie to safety and into the arms of her owners.

“Very happy, very happy. It always makes me very happy,” English added.

Also very happy? Tunkhannock Police who first put word out Saturday afternoon that the snake had been missing.

It prompted a large search from neighbors and family in the community, the police department, Triton Hose Company, and Wyoming County District Attorney Joe Peters.

“It’s understandable how people react because your first instinct is fear, but as we try and educate people today, but this isn’t a snake that isn’t going to hunt and kill for the sake of it. I understand the concern and that’s why we are all here and it’s a good close to the day,” Peters explained.

“The search was insane around here last night, insane today, and I’m just grateful that she was found, for Bruce and Lori and for the neighborhood and the town,” Saunders stated.

Lizzie was found cold and in a state of distress, what English says is a minor respiratory infection, CDE Exotics will now check her out before returning back home.

English says he called several times a year for missing pet snakes. He recommends if you see one, don’t try to capture it, Call 911 instead.

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