Stanley

Burmese Python

On July 14th, 2008 the Wildlife Center staff received a call from the Wildlife Control Services of West Hartford CT because one of their officers had just caught Stanley, a large constrictor that had been found in a home in New Britain CT. The occupants of the house did not own the snake and were quite alarmed when they discovered the 9 foot, 30 pound Burmese python in their home. He is aptly named Stanley because the residence he was found in was located on Stanley Street in New Britain. The likely case is that someone purchased Stanley when he was small and as he got bigger they realized that having a Burmese python as a pet is not such a great idea.

Since it is illegal to have a Burmese python as a pet without proper licensing provided from the state, when someone doesn’t want one as a pet anymore they do not have a lot of options. If they cannot find it a home with someone they know usually their next option is releasing it into the wild, even if it is not the right habitat. This is detrimental to both the animal itself and ecosystem in which it is released.

Resident at our West Hartford CT campus