First responders in Charles County, Maryland, discovered a scaly surprise while conducting a wellness check Wednesday night on a man who turned out to be dead.
“We discovered more than 100 snakes inside the home,” said Jennifer Harris, the communications officer for the Charles County government. “Various kinds of breeds, both venomous and nonvenomous reptiles were in the home.”
Those breeds included different kinds of cobras and black mambas, as well as pythons and rattlesnakes, according to Harris, who made it clear that keeping venomous snakes was illegal in Maryland.
So far, the county hasn’t said whether or not the snakes played a role in the man’s death. The man was 49.
“We didn’t encounter any unsecured snakes at the scene … but we don’t know for certain,” Harris said. “The cause of the man’s death, that’s still few weeks away from being determined after [he was] sent to the medical examiner’s office.”
Emergency crews found the snakes while responding to a distress call at 5510 Raphael Drive in Pomfret around 6 p.m. on Wednesday. That’s when the county’s animal control officers were called in, and they worked with local snake experts to count and determine the best way to remove the snakes.
Harris said that the county is working through the legal process of transferring care and ownership of the snakes right now. So, any interested herpetologists should be on the lookout — as long as you’re not a Maryland resident, that is.
Below is the area where the snakes were found:
WTOP’s Mike Murillo contributed to this report.
