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Last updated on Friday, October 16, 2015
(WELLS CO.) - Neighbors had one surprise after another, finding not one, but six pythons around their yard.
During a ten day span, the two neighbors thought twice about even heading out the door. So, Tom Dick, a retired school teacher and Dean Cassiday, a retired mail carrier, both of Liberty Center, began hunting pythons.
Late September, Cassiday was called to a spot across the street after his neighbor, Dick found a python by his drain while mowing. He shot it, poured gasoline down the drain and lit it on fire. From there, they kept finding more; in a wood pile, in a hay field and in the yard. They weren't sure exactly what to do. They believed they weren't going to otherwise survive in the environment.
"Our ladies were terrified. They didn't want to come out of the house, so we had to get rid of them," said Cassiday.
Although the men weren't sure where they came from, they believe an overwhelmed pet owner dropped them off.
The neighbors called DNR and a sheriff reserve came out. A game warden ended up picking the snakes up. They haven't seen anymore since.
It is legal to fire a gun on a person's own property in Wells County, according to the Wells County Sheriff's Department.
WANE-TV also checked in with Animal Care and Control about what to do in this situation. Pythons are not poisonous, said an officer. If a person believes the snake is from outside Indiana and it's an immediate threat, call animal control. In general, however, it's best to leave them alone.
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