JAMESTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — A ball python was spotted at Beavertail State Park in Jamestown, and after several months of searching, the snake has finally been captured.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) said a park visitor first reported seeing the snake in July.

"DEM staff finally spotted the snake last week, happily sunning itself after the recent Nor'easter," the department said in a Facebook post.

Ball pythons are native to Africa and not found in New England. Given that the three-foot long snake seems friendly and used to people, the DEM believes it was someone's pet.

The DEM is reminding people that releasing pets into the wild is both dangerous and illegal.

"Abandonment leading to an animal's death is a felony," the department explained. "While this sto

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