Python caught near Georgia home, leading to concerns of invasive species spreading

A python was caught in a backyard in central Georgia, leading to concerns the invasive species of large snakes may be spreading.

The Georgia Wildlife Resources Division says the snake was killed by a homeowner in Walton County, just east of Atlanta. Pythons are native for Southeast Asia, Africa and Australia, depending on the species, according to LiveScience.com.

“The homeowner turned the animal in to their local extension office who called Urban Wildlife Program staff to confirm it was a non-native species,” Georgia DNR posted on Facebook. “Staff then took the snake to Walton County Animal Control to be scanned for a PIT tag and confirm no one had reported a missing python.”

Wildlife officials theorized the python may have been purposely released, a practice that has led to the species becoming a destructive force in Florida.

“This python was most likely a pet someone released ... after it grew too large for them to take care of,” officials said. “Releasing exotic pets, like pythons, can have serious negative effects on the natural environment.”

A photo of the snake shared by the state appeared to show a ball python, which is native to Africa and known to reach about 6 feet in length, Animal Planet reports.

News of the discovery prompted fear and anger on social media, including some who shared photos of pythons they claimed to have found elsewhere in Georgia. Pythons are capable of eating dogs and cats, many people posted.

“There needs to be serious prison time for anyone releasing these things. Just look at what has happened to Florida,” Tom Cromartie wrote on the state’s Facebook page.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports invasive pythons are now found across more than 1,000 square miles of southern Florida, from the Keys to Collier-Seminole State Forest. Colder winters to the north have kept pythons from expanding their turf, but increasingly mild winters could change the dynamic, experts say.

Reports of pythons being found in the wild across Georgia date to at least 2011, including a 12-foot Burmese python killed in south Georgia more than a decade ago, WALB reported.

News of the python discovery comes a week after South Carolina wildlife officials reported finding an invasive South American tegu lizard in Lexington County.

Tegu are another invasive species that has a foothold in two Georgia counties, according to Georgia wildlife officials. They grow to 4 feet and weigh more than 10 pounds, the state says.