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Get These 3000 Motherf*&!ing Snakes Outta My Local Motherf*&!ing Lake
Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist
Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist
I can not overstate the heebie-jeebie factor of this story. Snakeyphobes, walk away now. The South Bay's Lake Machado (map), former Harbor City home of Reggie the alligator, is now snake central. An estimated 3,000 illegal water snakes have been mysteriously dumped into the lake, according to the Daily Breeze.
Banned as pets in California, water snakes can grow to four feet long and prey on fish, frogs, birds and other lake critters. They are not poisonous but they do bite, and can carry some diseases, like salmonella, transmittable to humans.
Biologists are attempting to chase down the invading slitherers but have only captured about 10-percent of the lake's population. Officials are also investigating unconfirmed reports of a monstrous, 15-foot python living in the murky waters.
Previously: Crotch Biting Snakes on a Plane
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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