A Florida woman who tried bringing huge snake through airport security said it was her emotional support animal (ESA), according to the Transportation Security Administration.
The hair-raising moment happened last month at Tampa International Airport during a security screening, TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein confirmed on Twitter. An X-ray photo shows the four-foot-long snake, named Bartholomew, curled up inside his owner's carry-on bag among other belongings.
"Snake on a plane?" she tweeted. “Woman claimed the snake was her emotional support pet. TSA notified the airline, which ruled that there was not going to be a snake on their plane!”
An Instagram post from TSA said airlines don't allow these slithering reptiles to travel in carry-on bags. Officials did note, however, that "only a few allow them to slither around in checked bags, if packaged correctly." Even then, most U.S. airlines have banned emotional support animals and only allow certain, qualified service animals depending on the policy.
A similar story happened in November where a full-grown cat was discovered inside someone's checked bag heading to the Sunshine State. Then, there was an actual Snakes on a Plane moment back in October, where a snake somehow slithered into the cabin of a flight leaving Florida. Needless to say, some passengers were screaming.