Colorado student thought trip home was over, then found a venomous baby pit viper in her suitcase

A Colorado student’s trip home from Costa Rica turned into an unexpected rescue operation after she discovered a venomous snake inside her suitcase. 9NEWS reported that once back in Colorado, the student noticed the animal while unpacking luggage from the trip. The snake was identified as a hognose pit viper, and local pest control first determined it was not native to Colorado, then reached out to a reptile pet store in Boulder for help. The Denver Zoo and Colorado Parks and Wildlife responded afterward. The zoo also previously needed to rehome a Halloween crab found in another traveler’s luggage from Costa Rica in 2024. The incident highlights how global travel can unintentionally transport wildlife, creating safety and ecological risks if animals survive, escape, or are handled during transport.