Nov. 8 (UPI) — A large ball python found slithering in the parking lot of a Chili’s restaurant in North Carolina turned out to have been an escaped pet missing for two months.
The Shallotte Police Department said on social media that officers apprehended the slithering suspect outside of the local Chili’s eatery.
“We believe this may have been someone’s pet and got loose,” police wrote.
The female snake was later returned to her owner, local resident Christen Schiel.
“That beautiful snake is my baby girl, Una,” Schiel told WECT-TV . “She is the best snake anyone could ever have and I’ve been missing her deeply for the past two months.”
Schiel said Una is now recovering from her time on the loose.
“She has rubs or burns on her which I’m gonna treat tonight with some iodine and Polysporin and she was very dehydrated,” Schiel said. “I had to give her a little bath with electrolytes in it and she was just chugging water but other than that she’s a happy girl.”