Neighbors in Crieve Hall are responding to an alert posted by a resident saying that a boa constrictor is on the loose.
Jiffy Dahlgren, a resident near Blackman Road and Danby Drive, posted on Nextdoor about her neighbor's missing six foot snake on Friday.
It said that the snake is "extremely domesticated, but wanted to give everyone a heads up."
She has since named the snake as "Bud."
"I feel like people in the neighborhood want closure, and I think people were freaking out so I thought I'll give them a name and it'll calm everybody down," said Dahlgren. "You've got such a broad range of reaction from everybody, from being freaked out to people being compassionate and wanting Bud to be found and returned to his owner."
However, the post has kept some residents on edge while others found it more as a joke.
"I'm afraid of snakes and spiders, so this is not a cool story for me," said Reese Phillips.
A dog-walker said the owners made sure she was aware.
"I thought it was so crazy, so I've been on the lookout as I've been walking the dog because it's just really weird," she said.
Where is Bud?! Some neighbors in Crieve Hall search for a boa constrictor after it slithered away from its home four days ago. @NC5pic.twitter.com/PR9VvXcOAr
— Matthew Torres (@NC5_MTorres) September 11, 2018
Recently, there have been sightings of bobcats and bears in the Mid-State.
Wildlife experts said boa constrictors could be anywhere depending on the food source. They are non-venomous and are generally not dangerous to humans. If anything, smaller creatures like rats are more at risk.
While experts said people should not really be worried, they still advised anyone to not touch a boa constrictor if it is spotted. Call animal control or police instead.
