Colo. teen finds 'out of state' visitor

DENVER, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- A Longmont, Colo., teenager says he knew the 5-foot-long snake he spotted on a walk through a nature area wasn't a Colorado native but rather a python.

Trevor Bonner, 14, has an interest in snakes and knew the jungle carpet python he spotted Saturday in a willow tree in the Jim Hamm Nature Area didn't belong there, The Denver Post reported.

"That's really bad for our ecosystem," the teen told his mother, Deb Bonner, who snapped photos and contacted wildlife authorities.

The Colorado Reptile Humane Society rescued the snake and said it was probably a pet gone astray.

"We hope this snake is a lost pet that can be reunited with its owner," said society member Jonathan Scupin, who helped with the rescue.

The pythons are native to tropical environments and would struggle to survive at temperatures below 70 degrees, he said.

"This snake would not survive a Colorado winter and (would) suffer in the process," Scupin said.