Hot Springs, AR - A Hot Springs man accidentally released a twenty-foot anaconda into Lake Hamilton earlier this week, according to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The man, identified as 47-year-old Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt, says he took the snake out for a swim and it never came back. "After about an hour of being out on the lake, I started calling his name but he never came back."
Kleinschmidt claims the snake, whose name is Frank, is very friendly and loves to cuddle. "Frank is as harmless as one of them hippopotamuses. All he does is hugs on people really tight." He claims the snake recently ate some raccoons and possums and doesn't pose a threat to the public presently but in a couple of weeks that might be a different story. "Yeah, in a few weeks I wouldn't want to be out on that lake. He tends to get cranky when hungry."
Spa City Chronicle reached out to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for comment on what action they planned to take to find and catch the animal. We were forwarded to a set of newly open job listings for the agency all in the Hot Springs area.
We'll have more on this story as it develops. Click here for other breaking news in and around Hot Springs.
Oh my God I seen the snake three weeks ago when we were in Arkansas I was sitting on the porch about 6 o’clock in the morning and I seen the snake. That’s what brought me here seeing how big the biggest snake was well let me tell you I seen him and that sound like gun is big.