Agents Confiscate Cargo Bound for Ohio : U.S. Puts the Squeeze on Crate of Rare Pythons

When a suspicious 1,000-pound crate of reptiles bound for the Midwest arrived at Los Angeles International Airport, federal wildlife agents confiscated the cargo and trucked it to the Los Angeles Zoo for inspection. Los Angeles Zoo Director Warren Thomas could not believe his eyes when the crate was broken open.

Slithering nonchalantly among a bunch of garden variety pythons were 18 Boelen’s pythons.

“I’ve only seen two or three in my 40 years in the business, and here were 18 staring me in the face,” Thomas said Wednesday. “I was shocked and astounded. It was mind boggling.”

The Boelen’s python, a native of New Guinea, is so shy and secretive that it was not discovered by scientists until 1956, Thomas explained. And even today, there are only two known to be in captivity in North America, both in a Houston zoo. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service authorities estimated that the snakes are worth as much as $10,000 each, although Thomas considers them “priceless.”

The snakes, which are 12 to 14 feet long and weigh from 25 to 35 pounds, have distinctive black velvet skin, yellow bellies and yellow flashings along the side.

“In the sun, they almost glow, they are so beautiful,” Thomas enthused.

The snakes are not poisonous, Thomas said, “but if you pick them up they will squeeze back.”

The cargo of more than 70 reptiles also included 23 ring pythons, a threatened species from Indonesia. The kelly-green snakes, which have white spots and stripes down their back, are found only on the island of New Britain. There are approximately 35 of them in zoos in North America, including five owned by the Los Angeles Zoo.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife inspector Ron Drifka said authorities seized the cargo Monday because the export paper work was not in order. The reptiles were bound for an Ohio importer who claims to have a reptile research facility.