How’s this for a tough day on the job?
You’re an animal control officer and you get a call that a 20-foot snake has been spotted slithering out of Fairmount Park’s Lake Evans north of Riverside. You are tasked with corralling the errant serpent before something bad happens.
Arriving at the scene, Riverside County Animal Control Officer Kristina Hillegart encountered the snake near the bank of the lake. She then faced the prospect of taking the 60-pound critter into custody.
The good news: the snake wasn’t really 20 feet long, only 15. And it was a Burmese python, generally docile and easy to handle.
Dubbing it the “Monster of Lake Evans,” Hillegart managed to wrangle the serpent into her vehicle without incident.
Animal control officials speculate the snake was dropped off at the lake when it became too much for owners to handle.
The python is temporarily in the care of an Animal Services employee who is also a reptile enthusiast. If no one claims it, the serpent will be given to a rescue group specializing in exotic pet care.
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There’s no word yet on whether Hillegart will next be assigned to go after the Loch Ness Monster.
