Python found parked outside Walmart in South Carolina and jokes erupt on social media

African pythons can be officially added to the list of odd things you may find parked outside Walmart in South Carolina.

One was caught at the Walmart Supercenter on Gentry Memorial Highway in Pickens, about 120 miles northwest of Columbia, and police are baffled as to how it got there.

“We’re not mad, some of us like the opportunity to catch a snake,” the Pickens Police Department wrote in a Sept. 15 Facebook post.

“But this ball python found in Walmart parking lot is not a native snake. If you lost or misplaced your python, let us know.”

The nonvenomous snake, suspected to be a lost pet, was taken into “protective custody” and is receiving appropriate care, police said.

Hundreds of people have reacted to the slithery surprise on social media, including witnesses who report the snake was seen on the pavement when a woman pulled out of a parking space.

Photos shared on social media show a police officer took it into custody by the tail.

“’Awe ... I left my python at Walmart,’ said someone somewhere,” Paige Alan wrote on the police department’s Facebook page.

“Glad it didn’t crawl up into someone vehicle and come out while they were driving,” Betty Bratcher said.

“Everyone needs to behave tonight or you might be sharing a cell with a python,” Becky Lesley posted.

“May never go to Walmart again,” Mary Nix said.

This story was originally published September 18, 2023 at 7:30 AM with the headline "Python found parked outside Walmart in South Carolina and jokes erupt on social media."