Camper Loses Boa Constrictor At Oakland County Park
ADDISON TOWNSHIP (WWJ) - A 5-foot-long boa constrictor may be on the loose in southeast Michigan. Officials said the pet was lost when its owner brought it along on a camping trip at an Oakland County Park.
The head of the Oakland County Parks Department, Dan Stencil said, on June 9, the snake slipped away from its owner's pop-up camper during at the 1,140-acre Addison Oaks County Park in Addison Township.
"The (park) staff started a search and came up with nothing," said Stencil, who added that snake is relatively young and isn't a threat to the public.
Speaking to WWJ Newsradio 950, Melissa Lincoln, a zookeeper at Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, said a boa that size could not eat an adult human, but will eat an animal up to 10 pounds. She said they can live a long time without eating much, but would not survive outside in a Michigan winter.
Stencil said there's still a chance that the snake slithered into a crevice in the camper.
Officials are on the lookout at the park and are distributing flyers to ask campers to keep an eye out for the animal, who may answer to the name "Houdini."
"With the start of the weekend and a lot of campers coming into the park, and people will be coming in for picnics tomorrow, we've provided an information piece to make them aware that the snake has been lost in the park, and what to do," said Stencil.
The owner is facing misdemeanor charges for violating park rules.
