Police Have ‘Arrested’ a Snake for Living Up to Its Boa Constrictor Name

Australia’s New South Wales police force may have captured their fair share of snakes in the grass, but yesterday they arrested something entirely different—an actual snake.

The police were called to a home in Singleton, New South Wales on Tuesday after it was reported that a small dog had been eaten by a pet snake, Mashable reported. The culprit was a seven-foot long boa constrictor and puppy eating wasn’t its only crime—it had also tried to live up to its name and constrict its owner’s breathing while he slept, according to a statement from police.

The local cops “arrested” the snake and handed it over to Australia’s National Parks and Wildlife officers. While Australia has many snakes, boa constrictors are not native to the country. Wildlife officers are planning to euthanize the boa due to the danger it appears to pose to native mammals and household pets. (Perhaps they had just watched the Planet Earth II snake chase scene?) The snake’s owner will be charged with possessing an exotic species without a license.

[H/T Mashable]