SOUTHEAST BOISE, Idaho — Imagine checking into your hotel room and discovering a guest you definitely didn't expect. That's exactly what happened at a Hyatt in Boise, where an albino ball python was patiently waiting to get acquainted with the next traveler.
Hotel staff contacted Animal Care and Control, who safely transported the rare pet to the Idaho Humane Society's Dorman Street campus.
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Kristine Schellhaas, public information officer at the Idaho Humane Society, says that the snake's getting into the room remains a mystery.
"I'm unsure if he was in that room with his former owner, or if you know... snakes are pretty agile, and they can wiggle their way through a lot of different places, or if he came through like a vent, for example," Schellhaas said.
"They could have been hiding behind a fridge because it's warmer behind there, or crawled up behind a bed. We are very much unsure."
Staff moved the snake into a specialized enclosure with heat lamps and proper conditioning.
"We did get a call to come and rescue the little guy, and animal care and control came in and brought the snake back to our shelter where it has been hanging out in a snake enclosure with all of the appropriate heat lamps and skin conditioning programming and all of the other items that this little guy needs to feel healthy and well while they're waiting hopefully for reunited with their owner," Schellhaas said.
Online, the discovery is getting plenty of reaction, ranging from "new fear unlocked" to "I know what I'm putting in my request notes for my next hotel stay."
One commenter claims they know the guest who found the python, saying they'd been in the room all week and were "deathly afraid of snakes." The post says they mistook it for a rolled-up towel until they turned on the light. Idaho News 6 has reached out to that commenter but has yet to hear back.
The shelter believes the expensive snake was not intentionally abandoned.
"We are holding this snake hoping that the owner will come forward. These are very expensive snakes, so we don't imagine that it was left behind in the room on purpose," Schellhaas said.
"There's no shame... we understand things happen. Just if you know that you're missing a snake or know someone who is, please come and get your little guy, and we'd love to reunite them," Schellhaas said.
Several people have already expressed interest in adoption if no owner comes forward.
"We would love to get the snake back in its rightful home," Schellhaas said.
The python's owner can reclaim it at the Dorman campus at 4775 W Dorman Street, Boise, ID 83705, open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with proof of ownership.
"It's been an interesting social media post, and people are either pro snake or against snakes, but he's a beautiful creature, and I, you know, I'm sure he's missing his owner," Schellhaas said.
The specific Hyatt location where the snake was discovered could not be confirmed by the Idaho Humane Society.
