News

Cambridge woman startled to find boa constrictor on porch

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) – A Cambridge woman startled her Sunday off with the scare of a lifetime as she came face-to-face with a boa constrictor.

Rev. Irene Monroe woke up Sunday and took her cup of coffee out to the porch, but as she was going outside to enjoy the peace and quiet she encountered a 4-foot-long snake.

"I realize that, oh, I can't pull the screen door all the way back…not thinking much of it. Thinking it probably is off the track," Rev. Monroe told FOX 25's Crystal Haynes.

However, it was not a mechanical malfunction. It was a boa constrictor.

When the snake popped its head up, Rev. Monroe screamed and neighbors, as well as police, came to help.

"Six cops came. Four came in the house, two stayed outside because those two were equally afraid about the snake as I am," Rev. Monroe said.

Officers removed the 4-year-old snake from Rev. Monroe's home and took it to the Petco in Cambridge.

"We're gonna' send it to a vet, get our foundation to take care of it. Hopefully the news coverage will help find the original owners. If not, we'll find owners for it," Edwin White, Companion Animal Manager at Petco, said.

Rev. Monroe hopes the owner comes forward and learns an important lesson.

"It's wonderful to have whatever type of pet you want, but it requires a certain level of responsibility; particularly something like a snake," she said.

For now, Rev. Monroe will be taking her coffee inside the house saying she has "post-traumatic snake disorder."

Anyone with information regarding the snake is asked to contact the Cambridge Police Dept. at 617-349-3300.