CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Newsplex/Rachel Ryan)--The mystery surrounding a seven-foot, fifty pound missing red tail boa constrictor has been solved.
After missing for two months, because a pet shop at Seminole Square released their animals into the wild, the snake is on its way to a new home.
The snake became something of a legend. It was first spotted by employees in the parking lot of the Boathouse restaurant.
The search has been on since then and it finally ended Tuesday.
On the run for two months, the snake showed up in the parking lot of the Boathouse restaurant right by former employee Johnny Garver’s car.
“What I heard is the pet store here in the shopping center closed down and released their animals and someone saw the boa constrictor...then a dish washer here at the Boathouse saw it one night and decided to stab it, which is why it's got those injuries now,” said Garver.
The stab wounds were still visible.
“People would show up here, I would say 'are you joining us to dine?' and they'd say ‘No we are looking for the snake,’” said Garver.
“I've seen people with their trucks and waters come down the hill here to go looking for the snake.”
Garver wasn't looking for the snake, he just here to pick up his paycheck
“I saw that it was injured and didn’t' want to leave it to die,” he said. “I figure we will give it a new home instead of leaving it out here to die.”
Garver's home is not a permanent option.
“My girlfriend will not let me keep it,” he said. “It's a beautiful, beautiful animal but I’m not allowed to keep it.
Garver got the snake into a cardboard box and he held onto it this afternoon until the reptile rescue crew out of Dillwyn came to pick it up. It will be taken to a veterinarian for treatment of the stab wounds.
Then once it heals, the rescue crew will find it a permanent home.
