A man showing off a massive snake to a crowd on the Coney Island boardwalk caught the attention of a New York environmental conservation police officer.
There was one problem: The snake is illegal to possess in New York.
The officer spotted the Burmese python near Riegelmann Boardwalk on July 12, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
About a dozen people, including small children, had gathered around the snake while a man handled it and showed it off to the crowd.
And it wasn't his only snake. He had a second snake, a ball python, wrapped around his neck, according to the DEC.
An environmental conservation police officer questioned the man, who identified the larger snake as a Burmese python and acknowledged owning
it.
Burmese pythons are classified as dangerous animals and cannot be possessed without a DEC license in New York. The state prohibits possessing them as pets.
The man was ticketed for illegal possession, and the Burmese python was confiscated and transported to the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Burmese pythons are native to Southeast Asia and can grow to more than 20 feet long, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The invasive snakes have become notorious in Florida, where established populations have caused significant declines in some native mammal populations.
The DEC warned that Burmese pythons can pose a danger to people and can severely affect native wildlife if released into the environment.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Man caught showing giant illegal snake to crowd, children on NY boardwalk
