Worried about the boa constrictor released in SC? There may be good news

Giant constrictor snakes – like the boa constrictor released in Congaree National Park Sunday – are plaguing southern Florida, and many of the invasive species appear to be moving northward.

But South Carolinians may not have too much to worry about.

S.C. Department of Natural Resources herpetologist Will Dillman said non-native snakes tend not to make it South Carolina.

“We have winters here much colder than they are able to tolerate, with them being a tropical species,” Dillman said.

Boa constrictors are native to tropical regions of Central and South America, and Dillman said they have been shown to not survive farther north than the Florida Everglades.

SCDNR sees reports of non-native species being let go from time to time, especially animals that are common in the pet trade.

“They tend to get out or people intentionally release them,” Dillman said. “...When this stuff pops up, we tend to track these sort of things so we have an idea of what’s going on.”

Even though the chances of long-term catastrophic consequences from illegally dumping the snake may not be quite as severe as in the Sunshine State, Congaree National Park still urges visitors to never release any animals in the park.

It is illegal to release non-native or native animals in the park, as they can carry disease and. hurt other animal populations.

“Please help us to keep our park as natural as possible and DO NOT release animals within the park,” the park stated in a Facebook post.

This story was originally published May 22, 2017 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Worried about the boa constrictor released in SC? There may be good news."