A woman flying at Tampa International Airport attempted to bring a 4-foot boa constrictor on her flight last month, but was rejected by the airline, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
The TSA posted an x-ray to their social media sites Friday of the woman’s carry-on bag, showing the massive snake packed in a corner of the bag along with other items like shoes and a laptop.
According to the agency, the woman claimed that the snake was “her emotional support pet.” The snake’s name was Bartholomew, according to CBS News.
Once the airline she was flying on was notified by the TSA about what they found, the agency said they “ruled” that the snake couldn’t fly on the plane.
“Our officers at Tampa International Airport didn’t find this hyssssssterical!” the TSA added in a humorous Instagram post, “We really have no adder-ation for discovering any pet going through an x-ray machine.”
The agency asked people to check the rules for carrying pets set forth by their airlines before heading to the airport. It said snakes are not allowed in carry-on bags, but a few airlines allow them to be transported in check-in bags, as long as they are secured correctly.
It also asked passengers to reach out to TSA if they had any questions about whether something was permitted on their carry-on bags.
In 2020, the U.S. Department of Transportation revised its rules to treat emotional support animals as pets, which means the animals wouldn’t be guaranteed a spot in the cabin and would have to adhere to the airline’s rules for pets on board.
Last month, the agency shared that it had found a dog inside one of the carry-on bags scanned through a TSA checkpoint at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison.
TSA Great Lakes confirmed that an unidentified owner of a Dachshund-Chihuahua mix had placed the animal inside their backpack and then sent the bag through the machine.
“The passenger was unaware of screening protocol and did not alert the Transportation Security Officers that there was a small dog in a backpack-style carrier,” Jessica Mayle, a TSA spokesperson for the Great Lakes region, told Nexstar.
Mayle said that the traveler was not trying to hide the dog but did not know the proper screening protocols, adding that the owner was allowed to proceed to their gate after their bags and dog were cleared.
