Marines Are Reporting 'Huge, Strange-Looking' Snakes at Camp Lejeune

A year after Marines were told to quit feeding an alligator that lived near their barracks, reports of "huge" snakes at a North Carolina base have prompted officials to reiterate their warnings against pets, scaly or otherwise.

A red-tailed boa, a nonvenomous snake commonly kept as a pet, was spotted in a parking lot at Camp Lejeune last month. The sighting followed another report of a 2-foot-long ball python slithering in the lobby of the barracks in the Wallace Creek.

"Since we have had two fairly recent incidents, we felt it was important to educate base personnel and the public on the issues that can be caused when exotic species are either intentionally or unintentionally released into the natural environment," Emily Gaydos, a wildlife biologist with Camp Lejeune's land and wildlife resources section said.

More