Missing pet? Ball python found under Georgia beach bench after dark spurs owner search

An unusual discovery on a Georgia beach came after dark, when a ball python turned up beneath a bench.

Once it was safely secured, the snake, later nicknamed Buttercup, became the subject of a police effort to find its owner.

What happened?

A night shift team safely recovered the nonvenomous reptile after two visitors noticed it beneath a bench at Tybrisa on Tybee Island, WJCL reported. Authorities said the snake looked healthy and may be a pet that went missing.

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WJCL shared an image of the python in the hands of Capt. Emory Randolph. Per the outlet, officials wanted anyone who owned the python to contact the Tybee Island Police Department at (912) 786-5600. 

They also said ball pythons are nonvenomous, not usually dangerous to humans, and commonly kept as pets, though they did not explain how this one could have landed at the beach.

Why does it matter?

Even though ball pythons are nonvenomous, one under a public bench at night poses a safety concern for both people and the animal.

This appears to be less a typical wildlife story than a human-driven one. Because ball pythons are popular pets, the event likely traces back to human activity rather than a naturally occurring issue. Ball pythons are native to Central and West Africa.

As the BBC notes, many tense interactions between humans and animals are influenced by how people move, house, transport, and displace animals. In this case, a domestic pet appears to have ended up in an unfamiliar public setting.

Authorities safely captured the snake and removed it from the area, ending Buttercup's beachside detour. The snake was no longer fending for itself, and police hoped the unusual discovery would lead them back to a worried owner.

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