Lost Pit Viper

[332 words] “Danger: We believe there may be a dangerous pit viper lost somewhere in the apartment complex. Please watch where you step!” This may sound like the first line from a low-budget horror movie, but for some renters in South Carolina it is all too real. Management at an apartment complex found a snakeskin from a dangerous gaboon pit viper on their grounds and delivered the news to residents this past week. Immediately, residents asked how a dangerous snake from Africa ended up in their backyard. One of the prevailing theories to this question so far is that someone was keeping the viper as a pet and it escaped. This may sound crazy, but it would be far from the first time that a person has illegally kept dangerous animals as pets. Unfortunately, it would also not be the first time that a dangerous pet escaped from its owner….