A patient seeking emergency care at Parkview Hospital Randallia in Fort Wayne brought a pet ball python into the hospital without telling the care team, and the snake later got loose before being recovered in the emergency department.
Here's what to know
According to 21Alive/WPTA, a Parkview Hospital Randallia spokesperson said, "A patient recently sought emergency care at Parkview Hospital Randallia and brought their pet ball python. The patient's care team was not made aware of the snake during the visit, and it ultimately got loose. The snake was later recovered in the emergency department."
Fortunately, no patients, workers, or guests were hurt.
While ball pythons are usually fairly docile, putting an animal like that in a new setting like a hospital can stress it, especially if it escapes its owner while they're there. Stressed animals become defensive, and defensive animals can lash out, injuring others nearby and creating new issues that the medical staff have to deal with. While ball pythons aren't venomous, their bites can spread bacteria if they're not promptly cleaned.
On top of that, a loose snake, even a domesticated one, in a hospital can cause fear among other patients and staff, and create a host of sanitation problems in areas that need to be sterile for effective treatment. Ninety percent of snakes carry the Salmonella bacteria in their digestive tracts, which pass into the environment when they defecate.
Where can I learn more?
This is far from the only time a loose python has caused a scare. The stories below span urban rescues, home intrusions, and a tense Everglades removal.
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• In downtown Los Angeles, rescuers found a 20-foot python abandoned inside a dumpster.
• In the Florida Everglades, a snake remover grappled with a hissing Burmese python.
• On Australia's Sunshine Coast, crews pulled a swollen python from beneath a home.
• In Dhaka, handlers warn common snakes frequently sneak into human settlements as cities grow.
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