40 Snakes Dumped in Walmart Parking Lot Discovered by Police

An unidentified perpetrator has dropped a ball of about 40 snakes in the parking lot of Walmart at Paragould, Arkansas.

According to the United Press International, Paragould Police Detective Jack Hailey and other officers quickly responded after they were informed about the serpent sighting. Based on their investigation, it seemed the snakes were dropped on purpose.

"They were either herding the snakes when they were frog gigging or something," Hailey told ABC 8.  "Either way, they were collecting them for this reason and I don't think that was the best thing to do at all. Especially, those out there with a phobia."

People who have seen the snakes posted photos on social media, sending warning to everyone in the area. The witnesses initially thought the snakes were venomous.

Fortunately, they are only non-venomous garden snakes. Despite being non-venomous, however, the detectives asserted that regardless of the kind of snake, it could still cause a ruckus in the area.

Regarding the punishment for this kind of mischief, Hailey explained, "At the minimum, you could look at disorderly conduct of causing alarm to a public place, but if you look at the bigger picture, is someone was trying to get away from them and got hurt in any sort of way, those charges could easily increase."

Garden snakes are also known as garter snakes. They are among the most common snake species in America.

Live Science noted that garter snakes are relatively small, usually between 23 and 30 inches (58 and 76 centimeters) that can live in a wide variety of habitats including woodlands and near water. They are fast moving and they can also climb shrubs and trees.

Although in general, they are not harmful to humans, they may contain a mild neurotoxin that may cause paralysis to their smaller preys such as fish and amphibians.