30 Snakes Found Inside Las Vegas Home By Police

The Las Vegas police were shocked to find 30 boa constrictors Tuesday inside a house they were visiting as part of a follow-up on a case.

Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Larry Hadfield said the officers had arrived at the home in the Southern Highlands community around 6.30 a.m. as part of a law enforcement inquiry, and had encountered the reptiles.

The officers immediately called Clark County Animal Control to the scene. It was determined the reptiles were legally owned and properly cared for, due to which the officers did not seize the snakes, KVVU reported.

"Animal Control responded and determined the possession of the animals was not criminal," Hadfield said, Las Vegas Review Journal reported.

Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin said the local law does not prohibit anyone from owning dozens of boa constrictors in a home.

"However, for practical purposes there would be a limit on the number of animals that someone could adequately care for," Kulin said.

He added an owner maybe charged with animal cruelty if he/she fails to provide clean living space to the reptile.

"For any legally owned animal the owner must provide clean water and food, a clean area or cage, the animal(s) must be kept in an appropriate area, and if confined to a cage the animal must be confined in a safe manner. Failure to provide a safe and clean living space could lead to animal cruelty charges," he added.

In this case, the snakes were kept "in appropriate cages," so no action was taken by the animal control.

The boa constrictor is a species of large, non-venomous snake that is usually kept and bred in captivity. Also called the red-tailed boa or the common boa, the reptile is a member of the family Boidae and is typically found in tropical South America, as well as some islands in the Caribbean. An adult boa constrictor weighs over 100 pounds and can grow up to 13 feet long. The reptile feeds on rats, birds, monkeys or wild pigs and swallows its prey whole.