Thieves steal duffel bag, apparently unaware it's full of snakes - via Herp Digest

HTV National Desk, 10/8/19. Hartford, CT, The Hour

Reptile breeder Brian Gundy had just given a talk and animal presentation Saturday in San Jose, California. While going to get his car parked in a garage around 4:30 p.m., he left his his snakes and lizards in boxes and a bag in a no-parking zone.

When he returned for his critters, he made a grim discovery. 

"As I was loading up my gear, I realized the bag that had my four pythons and blue skink lizard inside was gone and they were just there seconds ago," Gundy told KTVU Fox 2.

Gundy had seen several people walk by his equipment, so he ran after them but couldn't catch up. He told KTVU he doesn't think they knew what was inside.

If the thieves were surprised by the contents of the bag, Gundy worries that the pythons — three ball pythons and a baby albino caramel Burmese python — and the blue-tailed skink could have been tossed into a dumpster or otherwise abandoned.

"It's very upsetting for me because — even though there is quite a bit of money involved in this loss — my biggest concern is the safety of these animals," Gundy said in a video he uploaded to YouTube.

He added that the thieves probably have no idea how to care for a snake.

The stolen animals were worth approximately $5,000, according to the reptile breeder. A box containing a tegu lizard and an ice chest with a 13-foot Burmese python inside were not taken.

Gundy filed a police report and hopes that the garage's surveillance video will help identify the thieves. He told KTVU that he isn't looking to press charges.

He said he just wants his snakes and lizard back — no questions asked.