Student gets slithery surprise when she finds a venomous snake stowed away in her suitcase

WASHINGTON — A University of Colorado student got quite the shock this week when she returned from a trip to Costa Rica and found a slithery stowaway in her suitcase.

The snake was a slender hognose pit viper, which is venomous and native to Central America, and can reach up to 2 feet long. This one was a juvenile, about 2 months old and weighing 18 grams, said Jake Kubié, a spokesman for Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance.

The local pest control company that arrived to handle the snake recognized it wasn’t native to Colorado and contacted a reptile pet store in Boulder, Colorado, for assistance. The Denver Zoo and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) responded soon after.

The options for the snake were: return it to Costa Rica, take it to a qualified research or education facility, or euthanasia, according to the zoo.

Because Denver Zoo staff are qualified to handle venomous snakes and already had four others of that species, the decision was made to rehome the snake at the zoo.

The pit viper is now in a six-month quarantine to ensure it has no parasites or diseases, Kubié said.

“We’re often in the position to be a rescue agency,” Kubié said of the zoo.

This isn’t the first time Denver Zoo has rescued an suitcase stowaway. In 2024, the zoo rehomed a Halloween crab that was found at Denver International Airport in the luggage of a passenger returning from, again, Costa Rica.

Such situations highlight the importance of responsible travel and wildlife awareness, according to the zoo. Animals can sometimes unintentionally hitch a ride in luggage or cargo, which can create dangerous situations far from their native habitats.