LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — When police officers called the Raven Ridge Wildlife Center for help handling an exotic reptile, volunteers were left in disbelief.

A boa constrictor, around 3 feet in length, was found Friday on Union Street in Columbia, the wildlife center confirmed, and it’s still unclear how exactly it got there.

And though the center doesn’t normally take in animals like the boa constrictor, it said it felt compelled to help anyway—so it sent a rehabber.

While waiting for help to arrive, two Columbia Borough police officers trapped the snake under a trash can and put a brick on top so it couldn’t move away, the wildlife center said.

Once on scene, the rehabber was able to lift the can and get a good look at the snake.

“The Boa was clearly tired and frightened but was gently picked up and placed in a crate for transport back to our center,” Raven Ridge wrote in a Facebook post. “We needed to help in this unique situation as it could have escalated, leading to panic and potential harm to the snake due to fear and misunderstanding of these misunderstood creatures.”

Raven Ridge said boa constrictors are often released by pet owners who decide they’re no longer able to care for them.

The wildlife center said it is working with Forgotten Friends Reptile Sanctuary to try and find the boa’s owner—who they’re hoping may have lost the snake by accident somehow. (Though, it noted, it does have several people interested in adopting the exotic reptile.)

“Releasing Boa constrictors into environments where they do not belong can have devastating effects, resulting in these snakes becoming invasive species that threaten native wildlife and ecosystems,” the wildlife center said. “In colder regions, the snake may not survive, but in warmer, humid areas like South Florida, they can establish breeding populations.”

The wildlife center urged pet owners to do thorough research before getting a new animal that may need more space as it grows or outlive its owner.

CBS 21 has reached out to police for more information but has not yet heard back.