MYRTLE BEACH -- It's a good thing the maintenance worker at the Coral Sands Motel on North Ocean Boulevard is a snake lover, because he was greeted Thursday morning by a 5-foot long jungle carpet python.
Jerry Timberlake went into room #506 around 10:30 Thursday morning and saw the snake just chilling out on the window sill.
"It was the last tenant's pet and they had an aquarium and when they moved the aquarium was empty," said Timberlake. "They left him behind. I don't know why. He's a really good snake."
He picked it up and called police.
Animal Control arrived and told Timberlake they don't have the facilities to store the snake and would have to kill it.
Timberlake wasn't about to let that happen, but he lives at the motel and isn't allowed to have pets. He asked us what to do.
We found Russell Cavender, The Snake Chaser, who met us near the hotel.
Cavender identified the snake and told us it was hard to tell how old it was because it was so thin.
"Somebody who was very irresponsible left this snake behind or did not properly cage this animal," said Cavender.
Cavender believes the snake has been in captivity its entire life because it is so tame.
Cavender took the snake and says he'll either keep it himself or make sure it goes to a good home. It's the first jungle carpet python he's ever caught through his business.
Timberlake is just happy the snake will live.
Jungle carpet pythons are non-venomous and are native to Australia.
Update: On Friday, Myrtle Beach police said they would not have killed the snake, but would have found a home for it.
