Opening the hood of a parked car in Colomiers, outside Toulouse, a driver found an unlikely stowaway in the engine compartment: a 4.9-foot-long (1.5-meter-long) boa constrictor.
The find came as the motorist prepared to replace the battery after the vehicle sat unused for a month, Euronews reported.
Here's what to know
According to a Facebook post from the Haute-Garonne fire brigade cited by Euronews, five firefighters responded, including two members of the RAN animal rescue specialist unit.
They eased the snake out of the engine bay, secured it in a glass container, and brought it to a local veterinary school.
Because boa constrictors are not native to southern France, the fire brigade turned to Facebook in an attempt to figure out how it got there.
The species is indigenous to South America, with a range from Colombia to Argentina.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
Keeping wild animals as pets, accidental escapes, and the movement of species far beyond their natural habitats all raise the likelihood of these encounters.
More background
A boa constrictor is not venomous, and the species does not usually pose a serious danger to adult humans.
A bite can be painful, and constrictors overpower prey by wrapping themselves around it.
Euronews also noted that France's heatwaves may have helped escaped exotic boas survive outside captivity.
That suggests warming conditions can compound risks associated with the exotic pet trade by helping nonnative animals persist in places where they otherwise might not.
Humans are often the ones responsible for human-animal encounters thanks to the way that we have reshaped the planet. Pet ownership, cities, and the changes that we've made to the climate are all factors.
A BBC explainer explored this broader pattern, identifying several widespread factors contributing to a higher rate of human encounters with wild animals and associated risks.
What's being done?
Animal experts from the Toulouse fire brigade were sent to Montesquieu-Volvestre for another escaped boa, this one about 3.3 feet (1 meter), after it had broken free from a vivarium.
France has strict rules for keeping snakes.
Constrictor snakes are protected vertebrates under the Washington CITES agreement, and European Union rules also apply to their sale, ownership, and breeding.
Where can I learn more?
A boa under a car hood in Colomiers may sound unusual, but it fits a broader pattern of wildlife turning up in everyday human spaces. Cars, roadsides, and crowded parks can all become risky when animals end up too close to people.
• In Yellowstone, a tourist provoked a bison and triggered a dangerous roadside confrontation beside parked vehicles.
• In Everglades National Park, tourists crowded in as a deadly alligator encounter unfolded nearby.
• At Yellowstone, visitors crowded a grizzly during a roadside photo op rather than retreating.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
