Patrol officers from the Westbrook Police Department came across what they said was a 10-foot-long snake early Wednesday morning at Riverbank Park, and according to a police press release, the officers watched it eat a large mammal – possibly a beaver.

The snake was reported along the riverbank in the area of Speirs Street at about 3:30 a.m. According to the report, the first officer witnessed the snake feeding, and then another officer arrived.

“A second officer arrived and they both watched it swim across the river to the Brown Street side of the Presumpscot River where it disappeared in the thick underbrush. They estimated its length to be at least 10 feet,” the report states.

Afterward, Westbrook police contacted the Maine Warden Service, which expects that the “snake will remain dormant for a few days because it just ate a substantial meal.”

The first sighting of the large snake was reported by a resident on Thursday, June 23, and since that time both Westbrook police and fire personnel have been routinely searching the area, with some believing that the initial report was a hoax or exaggerated.

The snake has been dubbed “Wessie” or the “Presumpscot Python” by local residents, with the first sighting becoming a community-wide topic over the last week. At the Subway restaurant near the park, the sign asked residents recently, “Have you seen ‘Wessie?'”

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“We ask the public to be mindful of the snake’s presence in the area and immediately report any sightings so we can remove the animal from the river,” said the police press release.

Police have said the snake, which is not indigenous to Maine, was most likely released in the area.

This story will be updated.

 


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