Target customer discovers huge exotic snake curled up in shopping cart, officials say

Target reminds its customers to “Expect More. Pay Less.” But one Iowa shopper recently spotted something that defied expectations.

While at a Target on Aug. 12 in Sioux City, a shopper noticed a large, exotic snake coiled up inside a shopping cart, a local animal control official told McClatchy News.

A local resident posted photos of the snake in a Facebook group called “What in the Sioux City is that!?,” writing “My daughter encountered this little guy at Target today!”

The reptile was about 6 feet long, according to KCAU.

Upon discovering the scaly creature, the shopper called animal control, and it was soon removed from the store without incident.

“It’s a Columbian red tailed boa,” the official said. “It didn’t get harmed or anything. It’s under the light getting warm and it’s doing just fine here.”

The snakes, native to parts of Latin America, can grow up to 9 feet, according to the Racine Zoo. They prey on birds, rodents, monkeys and iguanas.

It’s not clear how this one got inside the shopping cart, the official said.

“Somebody was saying that they thought they’d seen it in the parking lot,” the official said. “So I don’t know if it wandered over from one of the houses around there or if it got dumped.”

The snake, which is illegal to own in Sioux City, will be sent to a rescue shelter, the official said.

A Target spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on Aug. 14.

Sioux City is located on the Missouri River and borders South Dakota and Nebraska.