13-foot (and growing) python seized from New York home, sent to a zoo

*Attached video: Unusual animals spotted in Ohio

NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. (AP) — A 13-foot (4-meter) Burmese python was confiscated from an upstate New York man who was keeping the still-growing snake in a small tank, authorities said.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation said it got a complaint about an illegally owned snake in New Hartford on Aug. 28.

Browns announce Andrew Siciliano as radio play-by-play announcer, replacing beloved Jim Donovan

Environment Conservation Police Officer Jeff Hull responded and found the snake in a 4-to-5-foot (1.2-to-1.5-meter) tank.

The snake weighed 80 pounds (36 kilos) and measured 13 feet 2 inches (4 meters) in length. It appeared to be in good health and was still growing, the Department of Environmental Conservation said in a news release.

The snake was relocated to the Fort Rickey Discovery Zoo in Rome, which has the state-required permits for such an animal, the agency said.

The snake’s owner said he had not been prepared for how fast the snake would grow, the department said. He was ticketed for possessing wildlife as a pet and for possessing dangerous wildlife without a permit.

Actor Michael Keaton to change name

Burmese pythons are native to southeast Asia and have become popular pets in the United States. They are an invasive species in Florida, where they prey on native wildlife.

Burmese pythons can grow to be 16 feet (5 meters) long. The animal seized in New York, an albino Burmese python, was yellow with an arrowhead-like design on its head.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.