TAMPA, Fla. – A sneaking snake was stopped by security at Tampa International Airport.
The Transportation Security Administration says Bartholomew the boa constrictor was hanging out in a traveler’s carry-on bag at the airport last month and was spotted by TSA’s security x-ray.
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The traveler told officials Bartholomew was her emotional support snake. The airline, however, declined letting the snake onboard in the carry-on.
Snake on a plane? There was definitely a 4-foot boa constrictor in this carry-on bag that was detected by @TSA in @FlyTPA last month. But it did not slither its way onto the flight. TSA details are in this Instagram post: https://t.co/HMqENdPdry
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) January 6, 2023
In 2020, the TSA ruled that airlines could treat emotional support animals as regular pets, not service pets, which means their presence on a plane would be subject to the same rules and fees as regular pets.
Even so, airlines do not allow snakes in plane cabins because they can get out and hide easily. Some allow snakes in checked luggage.
Last year, a number of pets have been spotted by TSA X-ray machines at airports, including a dog and a cat.
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