Feds investigating mailed ferret, snakes from Lynchburg

6:54 p.m.

ROANOKE - It gives new meaning to the phrase "You've got mail."

United States Postal Inspectors say someone tried to mail a live ferret from Appomattox to Puerto Rico. But before the package got out of Virginia, a postal service worker noticed something was wrong.

At the Lynchburg Post Office, the box started moving. After obtaining a search warrant to open the package, investigators got quite a surprise: "Stamps" the ferret was inside. Inspectors say Stamps' inability to stay still might have saved his life.

"I'm really not sure what the effect of that whole trip would've had on him. I'm not sure if he would have made it or not," said Craig Bradley, who along with his wife Jane, adopted Stamps.

Photos from the Postal Inspector's office show someone stuffed Stamps into a makeshift cage, doped him up on Benedryl, and tried to mail the ferret to the U.S. Territory.

The Postal Inspector handling the case, David McKinney, believes whoever tried to mail Stamps knew they were up to no good. The return address on the package is an abandoned house, and the sender doesn't exist.

Ironically, McKinney says during the same month three years ago, and from the Lynchburg main post office, a man mailed an eight-foot-long python and a second snake to a customer in Kansas. The python escaped in a truck. The mail carrier found it on top of the mail. Another postal worker who just happened to be a snake wrangler, caught the python, then put it in a bag.

The pictures McKinney sent of the snake case show just how large the snake was.

McKinney says both cases are equally strange, but he does not believe the cases are connected, outside of the Lynchburg main post office.

The Bradleys still need to take Stamps to a veterinarian to get him checked out. The check-up will test Stamps for a disease similar to parvo in dogs. If the test comes up negative, the Bradleys plan to get Stamps acclimated with some of the 15 other ferrets they have in their home.

The Bradleys volunteer at the Big Lick Ferret Shelter and Hospice in Roanoke. Craig Bradley says Stamps' muscle structure is strong, and teeth appear in good condition, so he believes whomever had Stamps before mailing him took good care of the ferret.

The Bradleys also believe Stamps playful demeanor should serve him well when it comes to getting along with others. The couple estimates Stamps' age at two-years-old.

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5:45 p.m.

ROANOKE - A Roanoke couple has adopted the ferret. It's name is Stamps.

They plan to take it to the vet soon and hope to acclimate it with the other ferrets they own.

The couple, Craig and Jane Bradley, also help out with the local group Big Lick Ferret Shelter and Hospice.

The Bradleys say Stamps looks great. Craig Bradley whomever took care of Stamps before probably didn't abuse him.

I talked to the postal inspector handling the case, David McKinney. McKinney told me he's been able to rule out a man who mailed those pythons to Kansas back in 2007 as the person who mailed Stamps.

McKinney said that whoever mailed Stamps went to a lot of trouble to cover their tracks, meaning they probably knew what they were doing was illegal.

McKinney said the return address was an abandoned home and the sender's name was phony.

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1:36 p.m.

Updated with photos of seized ferret, snake by Postal Inspector's office.

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10:58 a.m.

ROANOKE - As I first broke on my blog Wednesday night, the criminal enforcement arm of U.S. Postal Service is looking into someone illegally shipping live animals from the Appomattox area.

Some court records I checked showed someone shipped a live python from a location in that area quite some time ago. The snake got out of its packaging in Kansas.

The investigator in this case called me and told me the postal worker there just happened to be familiar with snakes. He was able to wrangle this snake and discovered another smaller one in the same package.

The investigator also told me that in the past couple of weeks, someone tried to ship a live ferret from that same location. The potential bad guy put some food and water in the package for the little ferret.

He (or she) also doped the poor ferret up on some Benedryl the investigator said.

I'll be doing a follow up on what I found tonight for WSLS at 6:00 p.m. We're hoping to get a look at the ferret, and update on its condition.