Lost Pet Ad From Orrington Is For a Missing Ball Python

Living in Orrington means seeing lots of animals. Passing deer on my way to work is pretty common, not to mention raccoons, foxes, and squirrels. There's even been a bear on the loose since we moved there four years ago. But a stray snake? This is a new one!

Resident Valerie Nason told the BDN that she had her pet ball python, Mr. Smithers, out of his usual enclosure on the 4th of July. The kids at her holiday barbecue were getting a big kick out of having their pictures taken with him. And Mr. Smithers is very docile, so she knew no one was in danger.

When he started curling into a ball, which is what these snakes will do when they're frightened or overwhelmed (hence the name), she put him in his favorite flower bed to unwind. (literally!) Unfortunately, Smithers had a different idea. He took off!

Now, she's worried that he won't survive if the nights get too cold. So Nason is asking her neighbors on the Johnson Mill Road to keep an eye out for a 4-foot long ball python. She says he's harmless and will, most likely, just curl around himself if he's approached.

Raccoons, deer, and....snakes? Yup. That's life in Orrington!