Python (Yep, A Snake) Found At Brookline Playground

BROOKLINE, MA — We've heard about snakes on planes and in toilets but now they're slinking around the playground, apparently. Someone called to report a Ball Python snake at the Lawton Playground near the border with Boston Tuesday.

Now the Brookline Police are hoping to reconnect this (non poisonous) guy with the owner he likely got away from.

Animal Control Officer David Cheung is the one they call in for these sorts of things. He's handled everything from bats to opossums to, you guessed it, the infamous Brookline turkeys. But snakes. They're something different.

He told Patch he's had some experience with capturing Pythons - twice at Olmsted Park on Pond Ave about two years ago. He said the snake was actually quite easy to handle. And that was the big tip off that it was domesticated and someone's pet. Still, he said, he was a bit nervous handling the snake. We hear that's an acquired comfort zone.

Cheung helped get the python with the Animal Rescue League of Boston, but he's still the one to contact if you're missing your reptile friend. (Check out how to contact him below).

The ball python is apparently the most popular pet python in the world, according to Reptile Magazine. They're a bit shy but they're considered generally friendly and easy to care for.

They are not native to Brookline parks, if you were wondering, they actually come from central and western Africa and thrive in warm, tropical areas.

Adult ball pythons average 2 to 5 feet long. A 5-foot ball python is considered big, although lengths of 6 feet or more have been reported, according to New England Reptile. And they have a lifespan of more than 30 years.

If you’re missing your reptile friend or know the owner, please contact Brookline Animal Control at 617-730-2730, or dcheung@brooklinema.gov.

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Photo of the Ball Python courtesy Brookline Animal Control