OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KGTV) – A snake rescuer in California is looking for his missing reptiles.
Joseph Barrios spent a recent Sunday night at the Oceanside Pier doing snake education. Unfortunately, that night would end with a thief causing his snakes to disappear.
Barrios, who started rescuing snakes more than two years ago, loved using them as teaching tools.
“I just try to change the mindset of people, not to be afraid of them,” Barrios said.
Two Sundays ago, Barrios brought four of his five snakes, his ball pythons, Cheesecake, Luna, Bumblebee and Twinkie, and spent four hours on the pier.
Around 8 p.m., he walked back to his car, parked a few blocks away and realized he had lost the fob to his newly purchased car.
The emergency locksmith was too pricey, so he decided to wait until the morning. Around midnight, he dozed off.
“I leaned up against the car, and the bag was right here,” Barrios said.
Inside that black Puma duffel bag were locked plastic enclosures containing his snakes.
After waking up half an hour later, he discovered the bag was gone.
“Went crazy, looking all over the place, where are they, where are my babies?” Barrios said.
Barrios searched the area and found no sign of them, then filed a police report.
He said his greatest fear is that they were dumped.
“The gentleman got scared and dumped them in a dumpster. They’re in the bag and can’t get out,” he said.
Barrios said if his snakes were let out, he was worried about the impact of cooler temperatures at night.
Snake experts said if non-native snakes avoid predators, they could survive for months.
“All the enclosures are empty at home, reminders every day. It’s sad, it sucks, I just want them back,” Barrios said.
A GoFundMe page was set up for Barrios.
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