Meet 'Wessie,' Maine's new legendary monster mystery
A town in Maine is experiencing their very own Loch Ness monster mystery. Sightings of a large snake residing in the waters and riverbanks of the Presumpscot River in the town of Westbrook have been reported since late June.
Locals have dubbed the snake “Wessie,” a play on the Loch Ness monster legend “Nessie.”
In the first report of Wessie at Riverbank Park, officials described the snake to be “as long as a truck and the head the size of a soccer ball.”
Almost a week later, a police officer on patrol in the park area saw the snake feasting on a large mammal—probably a beaver—on the riverbank. Another officer arrived on the scene and the two watched as Wessie swamp across the river to the opposite side and into some thick underbrush.
They estimated the snake to be about 10 feet long.
A few sightings of Wessie were reported throughout the summer, and on Saturday evidence seeming to prove the snake’s existence was found. A large snake skin was found by a citizen near a boat launch in the park area.
"Westbrook Police Officers responded, photographed, collected, and tagged the skin which will be examined in attempts to determine what type of snake shed it and what risks this type of snake poses to public safety," the Westbrook Police Department stated in a Facebook post.
The snakeskin was sent to the University of Texas at Tyler to be tested.
Although authorities have advised that citizens remain alert of the possibility of a snake near the park and the river, the mystery of Wessie has attracted intrigued people and snake enthusiasts to the banks of the river. Citizens were also told not to try to catch the snake, yet many have said they want to do so.
Tributes to Wessie were made in both song, beer and tweets over the summer.
A Twitter profile posing as Wessie was created in June, formally naming the snake as “Wessie P. Thon.” The profile documents Wessie’s life through its tweets.
And it turns out that Wessie can be very sassy.
Drivetrain, a Portland, Maine-based rock band and film production company, released “The Wessie Song.” Drivetrain said in a Facebook post that they found the owner of Wessie, who missed his snake and wanted to “express his sorrow in song.”
On Twitter, Wessie seemed very flattered.
The Masting Land Brewing Company, a brewery in Westbrook, made a limited-time West Coast-style IPA named after Wessie.
Despite reported sightings of Wessie and the snakeskin, skeptics are still questioning the snake’s existence.
Rob Christian, the President of the Maine Herpetological Society, told WCSH-TV that aspects about the picture of the snakeskin suggest something is off and the skin was placed on the riverbank as a hoax.
“It's very suspicious to find a shed that's laid out like this that wasn't laid out by someone,” he told WCSH-TV.
Regardless of the authenticity of the Wessie legend, the mystery has brought excitement to the Westbrook community.
“This is the most exciting thing that’s hit Westbrook in, like, five years,” Mark Munson told WCSH-TV.
Follow Samantha Nelson on Twitter: @samm1son