The readers’ comments at Cryptomundo have foreshadowed what the media has discovered from “experts” who were asked about the recent black Giant Snake reports from Bucks County. I’m not surprised because it is obvious we have some extremely knowledgeable people registered here and leaving insights.
A spokeswoman from the Philadelphia Zoo who is an expert on snakes said it’s possible for snakes to eat small animals, but if they do, they will swallow them whole and not leave anything behind. She also said that a snake’s appetite would be less than usual with the weather being cooler for this time of year. And, she added, that a snake may eat only once or twice every two weeks.
“If this was mid-July, I would say these people may be onto something,” the spokeswoman said. “But in June with nights that are into the low 50s, not a chance.”
A spokesman from the San Diego Zoo in California said the situation in Bristol Township is a common problem in areas surrounded by lots of green. He also said that a snake enjoys the hunt for his food more than actually eating it, which is why is takes him so long to find a meal worth eating.
Local snake lover Mary Dicarlo of Falls heard about the snake issue Friday morning [June 15, 2007] while listening to the radio on her way to work. “Snakes really aren’t that dangerous,” Dicarlo said. “They like to hide and keep to themselves. If you don’t bother them, they most certainly won’t bother you.”
Dicarlo has been around snakes for more than four years now and said she would not be scared if she lived in the area.
William Kurko, Bristol Township’s animal control officer, said Friday afternoon that he would stay up all night in hopes of catching the reptile, which only comes out after midnight, according to people who saw it. He said he plans to use a special camera and to place flour on the ground to at least see what movement the snake is making.
But whether there’s a snake or not, Bristol Township police officer Steve Sanocki, an amateur snake expert, said some people just aren’t educated about snakes and worry too much.
“People see something they aren’t used to seeing and think it’s the Loch Ness monster,” Sanocki said. “I looked down that hole and all I saw was wings of birds and the smell of snake feces, no kittens.”
Last week Sanocki was called to a church to respond to reports of a 5-foot snake in the basement. When he arrived, he found a 2-foot snake no wider than his thumb.
“That is the type of snake anyone could find in their backyard,” the officer said.
On Wednesday [June 13, 2007], Sanocki did catch a 91/2-foot albino Burmese python near Runway Road off Route 13 in Bristol Township. A native to southeast Asia, the snake was obviously someone’s pet, he said.
Whatever is causing the problems in Bristol, experts have the same advice for all the residents who live close to this area: Relax.“Experts: Snake not attacking cats, birds” by Todd Miller, Bucks Country Courier Times, June 16, 2007.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Email • Facebook • Twitter •