Clearwater Police Officer Has No Problem Capturing Snake, But Draws Line At Spiders

CLEARWATER, FL — Responding to calls about alligators, giant lizards, pythons, boa constrictors, coyotes and the occasional wandering black bear are all in a day's work for law enforcement officers in Florida.

So, Clearwater Police Officer Devin Matheny didn't think twice when she received a call about a large snake at El Rincon Boricua Mexican restaurant, 1898-B Drew St., Clearwater, Monday around 5 a.m.

The 5-foot-long red-tailed boa constrictor had slivered into the metal security bars covering a window of the restaurant.

Matheny matter-of-factly donned protective gloves and began unweaving the snake through the metals bars. She then placed it in a cooler and drove the wayward reptile to Tampa Bay Specialists and Emergency Care, 1501 Belcher Road S, Largo.

It was no big deal as far as Matheny was concerned.

"If it was a spider, I'm out. But I'm OK with snakes," she said.

Clearwater police joked that the snake must have mixed up its days, thinking it was Taco Tuesday at the restaurant.

Matheny had a good reason for her intrepid actions.

The red-tailed boa, a native of Central and South America, may be large, growing to as long as 10 feet in length, but reptile breeders say they're the pussycats of the snake world. They're non-venomous, docile, and are frequently sold as family pets by reptile breeders. In fact, the more they're handled by humans, the tamer they become. Some seem to actually enjoy being held. They especially love to wrap themselves around the back of their owners' neck for warmth.

Since this snake was half of the size of a typical red-tailed boa, Petco, which sells the snakes, said it was most likely a juvenile searching for a nice, juicy mouse, not a taco.

Adult pet red-tailed boas generally live on a diet of frozen rats while juveniles prefer live mice.

Although boas aren't on the Florida Fish and Conservation Commission's list of prohibited nonnative species, in recent years, boas have either escaped or have been intentionally released in the wild in Florida where their population is on the rise. They can live in the wild about 10 years and have generally made a nuisance of themselves, stealing bird and tortoise eggs, and competing with native wildlife for rodents.