'Emotional Support' Snake Doesn't Fly

The TSA reports it headed off a real-life sequel when it found a snake on its way to a plane. Agents at Tampa International Airport found a 4-foot boa constrictor in a carry-on bag last month when it showed up on a checkpoint X-ray, the agency said. The passenger told the agents Bartholomew was her emotional support animal, CBS News reports. But the airline she was flying, when informed by the TSA, would not allow the snake aboard.

Service animals are allowed on flights, though the Department of Transportation says that means only dogs trained to help a passenger with a disability. The department decreed in 2020 that airlines can prohibit animals intended to provide emotional support in the cabin. They can travel in the cargo hold under certain conditions. TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein tweeted the X-ray image of the boa constrictor. On Instagram, she added the suggestion that passengers unsure of the rules check with AskTSA. (More TSA stories.)