UNION CITY, Tenn. - Officials at Reelfoot Lake State Park say they will skin a 9-foot-long python whose body was found in a picnic area at the park.
They say the skin and skull will be used in an exotic wildlife program.
According to the Union City Daily Messenger, park spokesmen speculate the snake had been a pet who escaped or was abandoned by someone who no longer wanted it.
They said it was not contraband but it is illegal to turn one loose in the wild.
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Information from: Union City Daily Messenger, http://www.ucmessenger.com