Overview
- Local police posted a public-safety alert after receiving reports and a photo of a four- to five-foot snake believed to be a Gaboon viper in a tree near Main Street and Edinger Avenue on Monday.
- Authorities urged residents to keep their distance and call the department’s non-emergency line to report sightings instead of attempting to handle the animal.
- The Santa Ana Police Department brought in professional snake handlers and the president of the Southern California Herpetology Association and Rescue to locate, identify, and, if captured, quarantine and transfer the snake to an appropriate facility.
- Officials say there have been no additional confirmed sightings since the initial report and they are investigating the authenticity of the circulated image because some observers suspected it might be AI-generated.
- Some outlets later reported that the person who provided the original photo admitted it was made with AI and that the sighting was false, a development police have said they are reviewing as part of their inquiry.