Dog, 6-foot snake tossed in St. Petersburg garbage bin

ST. PETERSBURG — A boa constrictor is dead and a dog is homeless after someone left them in a trash bin, a local exotic wildlife rescuer said.

Vernon Yates, director of Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, said he got the call from St. Petersburg police about 5:40 a.m. Sunday that someone had put a snake and a dog in a garbage bin at Flagler Pointe Apartments. When Yates got to the south St. Petersburg apartment complex, he found two animals and a lot of blood in the trash bin.

The snake was a 6-foot-long boa constrictor, Yates said, and its skull had been crushed. Yates took the snake to a veterinarian for treatment, but it died Sunday afternoon. The dog, a 10-pound mixed-breed terrier, was in good condition.

"On a good day, that snake could have eaten that dog, but not in this condition," said Yates, who is looking for a new owner for the dog.

One of his volunteers has already fallen in love with the dog, Yates said, and will probably keep it if no one else wants it. Yates is angry at whoever killed the snake.

"This is all uncalled for. If somebody didn't want the snake, they didn't have to beat it to death," Yates said. "They just could have called us."

Will Hobson can be reached at (727) 445-4167 or whobson@tampabay.com.