Pet Snake Freed from Drain; How Did It Get There?

A pet snake freed from a drain below the South Omaha Veterans Bridge on Monday now rests at the Nebraska Humane Society. Experts say the 6-foot long boa constrictor had either escaped or been dumped in the area.

The first question everyone had involved whether the snake was even there anymore after the Channel Six Exclusive on Sunday night.

From the scene, Kristie Biodrowski with the Nebraska Humane Society answered it rather quickly. “We have located the snake in question inside of the drain pipe here.”

Experts from various fields — the Humane Society — the Henry Doorly Zoo — and plumbing yes, plumbing — discussed options.

“We just used an ordinary cable for a sewer line and with the un-ordinary rags tied to the end of it,” says Jose Belez with Roto Cop Plumbing.

The metal snake didn’t work on nudging out the real one. “You can’t even see him anymore because it bends,” says one worker.

Buckets of water couldn’t create enough pressure to get him out and neither could a big trash can of water dumped into the pipe.

“His head is pointed at us,” says another worker peering into the pipe.

The next option involved a city water truck. Would it work?

It did. The snake wasn’t aggressive at all. Experts say cold water will calm a boa — especially since its native land is Central and South America and not Nebraska.

“I was wondering where it came from. Had to be somebody’s pet or something,” says neighbor Annie Abraham.

Based on its size and how it acted, that’s what Sarah Armstrong with the Henry Doorly Zoo believes. “Inherently, it’s a wild animal. They have one defense. They have no arms or legs to push you away so their defense is their mouth when they can’t run away.”

A six-foot boa can easily crush an adult if it gets around you. One can go 3-to-6 months without eating and do just fine. However, rabbits and small cats and dogs could have been on its radar. The types of animals owls and hawks hunt.

Boa constrictors are also legal to have as a pet. “We do get calls sometimes about people wanting to donate them,” says Armstrong. “They get them as pets when they are a foot long and then they grow and get too big and are too much for people to take care of and they want to get rid of them.”

If no one claims the boa at the humane society — he’ll be put up for adoption. No doubt sharing his story of living in the wild with others.