New York officers free water snake from scaffolding pipe; rescued reptile is named Pillow

Police on Manhattan's Upper West Side were dispatched to an unusual rescue after a snake got stuck inside a scaffolding pipe at a construction site.

Once it was safely removed, the reptile was identified as a water snake and adorably named Pillow.

Here's what to know

Citizen App video showed the animal beneath mesh covering before it slithered into a pipe. According to NBC New York, construction superintendent Pier Bueno had spotted the snake near the West 95th Street site he manages.

For Bueno, the sight was a stunning first compared to other critters he has encountered on the job. "I have come across with some other rodents — raccoons and rats and stuff. But never a snake," he said.

Officers worked to force the reptile out by pounding on the scaffold and using water. After it emerged, they secured the snake in a cloth bag and took it away from the site.

New York City's Animal Care Centers later determined that the animal was a water snake. The group said it appeared to be molting, or shedding its skin, which may have been why it squeezed into the pipe, since snakes often look for rough surfaces and cover during that process.

More background

The discovery happened in the middle of Manhattan's Upper West Side, not in the kind of setting many people usually associate with snakes. NBC New York reported that it was unclear how the animal got onto the sidewalk or reached the construction site.

Construction zones, traffic, and heavily built environments can disrupt animal movement, leaving wildlife to navigate dangerous man-made spaces. In some cases, expanding development can increase the odds of animals ending up in close quarters with people, a pattern explored in this BBC report on why wild animals come into conflict with humans.

Wildlife in cities is not limited to more common sights like pigeons or squirrels. As urban spaces increasingly overlap with animal habitats and travel routes, unexpected sightings can happen in places many people wouldn't expect.

What's being done?

Fortunately, the snake was safely freed without being killed, and the city's Animal Care Centers took over its care afterward.

Animal Care Centers said it is trying to place Pillow in a home outside the city, where the reptile may have a safer environment better suited to its needs.

Bueno said the rescue was unsettling to watch. "It was pretty scary. Especially when I saw the officer try to take the snake out of the piping," Bueno said.

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