A nine-foot anaconda was found hidden in its owner's van on Tuesday, after being suspected of escaping from the vehicle in Long Island, New York, earlier in the day.
The Suffolk County SPCA announced that agency detectives were joining the Southampton City police and five members of a motorcycle club called Blue Knights 1 to find the snake named "Bertha". But the officials could not locate the reptile immediately.
The owner of the snake, Erik Callender, aka "Erik the Reptile Guy", said he found Bertha a few hours later while driving his van.
The owner is allowed to keep reptiles such as Bertha, which he uses in his reptilian show, and will face no charges, said Suffolk County SPCA Chief Roy Gross at Fox News. Gross added that those who know Suffolk County residents who keep illegal animals at home can report them anonymously to the SPCA at 631-382-7722.
The green anaconda is non-venomous but can bite if he's scared, warned the SPCA on Facebook.
The species, native to Trinidad and tropical South America, is one of the largest snakes in the world, averaging 17 feet long and weighing up to 1,100 pounds, according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
