As the president and director of Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary, Jesse Rothacker is used to unusual calls. So he wasn't surprised when he got a request on May 1 to search a barn in Manheim for a mysterious snake that had shown up in the same place four days in a row. He was surprised with what he found, however.

"It was a California kingsnake, a nonvenomous species from the West Coast," he said. Knowing the snake is not one to be found in the wild in Pennsylvania, Rothacker suspects the reptile is a pet, and he's actively searching for its owner.

Rothacker's daughter, Viola, temporarily named the snake Zeebee while the owner search is underway. "He has a black and white pattern that she thought sort of looked like a zebra, so she came up with 'Zeebee,'" Rothacker noted. The small snake measures just over a foot long. "If I had to guess, I would say it probably hatched in the summer of 2021," Rothacker explained. The snake likely hibernated through the winter and recently woke up.

He doesn't think the kingsnake has traveled far from its home, but he can't be totally sure. "It most likely wouldn't have moved more than a few hundred yards from its original location," he said, but since there isn't much development around where the snake was found, Rothacker suspects it could have hitched a ride on the undercarriage of a car and ended up far from home.

Rothacker noted that when he rescues reptiles, he typically won't post pictures of the animal but will publicize some basic information, hoping the rightful owner will reach out. In Zeebee's case, pictures had already made the rounds on social media by the time the snake was rescued, so Rothacker will use the snake's markings to help identify it when it's claimed.

Rescuing a snake is just part of a typical day's work for Rothacker. He's rescued snapping turtles stuck in concrete basins and snakes trapped in window wells. Many times, the animals can just be released once they are freed, but in Zeebee's case, it was likely the snake was someone's pet.

"We would appreciate any help ... locating his family, who are probably worried sick about him," he said. While Zeebee waits to go home, he's in good company at Forgotten Friend, where two other California kingsnakes have a permanent home.

Rothacker emphasized that it's common for people to see snakes throughout the region as the weather warms up, but that there's likely no cause to worry. "We have so few venomous snakes in Pennsylvania," he said. "If you see a snake, you are welcome to take a picture of it and we will ID it for free. We'll remove your anxiety about it."

He also noted that he's made a few videos of Zeebee, which can be viewed on the sanctuary's YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/ForgottenFriendReptileTV. If you have information about Zeebee, contact Forgotten Friend at info@forgottenfriend.org or leave a message on the organization's Facebook page.