WESTBROOK, Maine — A large snake reportedly seen on the banks of the Presumpscot River on Thursday was spotted by Westbrook police officers early Tuesday morning as it ate a large mammal and then swam across the river.
Officers estimated the snake to be at least 10 feet long, Westbrook Police Capt. Sean Lally said in a release Tuesday.
At about 3:30 a.m., a patrol officer saw the snake on a riverbank in the area of Speirs Street and watched it consume a large mammal, possibly a beaver, Lally wrote.
After a second officer arrived, they both watched the snake — which has been dubbed “Presumpscot Python” and “Wessie” by area residents — swim across the Presumpscot River to the Brown Street side and disappear into thick underbrush.
Police then contacted the Maine Warden Service, Lally wrote, “and they expect that the snake will remain dormant for a few days because it just ate a substantial meal.”
Police asked people to be “mindful” of the snake’s presence in the area and to immediately call police if they see the snake so it can be removed.