A snake under the hood is one thing. A snake wedged so firmly inside a car's frame that police need a dealership lift to get it out is another.
That was the situation in Riverton, Wyo., after a three-foot bull snake turned a routine stop at a credit union into an unexpected rescue operation.
Here's what to know
Stephanie Watson said she was at the Grand Altitude Federal Credit Union drive-through when she noticed another woman trying to shoo a large snake away from her vehicle. The woman then told Watson the bull snake had slipped under the vehicle and into the frame near the passenger-side wheel well, according to UPI.
She and her chihuahua, Poe, moved away from the vehicle. She told Cowboy State Daily, "Anything that slithers and doesn't have legs is the devil, in my book."
Getting the snake out was not simple once police were called. After a bank manager moved the vehicle and contacted the Riverton Police Department, Animal Control Officer Shannon Sanderson and Riverton Police Chief Eric Hurtado responded.
However, Hurtado told County 10, "We tried several times to reach the snake to remove it, but we couldn't reach it."
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The breakthrough came at nearby Fremont Motors. Responders removed the snake after it poked its head out once the car was placed on a lift.
More background
Hurtado said, "After a while, it was apparent that the snake was not wanting to let go of the car, and the narrow opening did not provide enough access for the officers to grab the three-foot bull snake. We ended up at the Fremont Motors dealership, where they placed the woman's car on a car lift."
Animal control relocated the bull snake to the Big Bend ponds outside town.
On Facebook, the Riverton Police Department said, "Thank you, Fremont Motors, for helping our officers take a Sssssssssuspected trespasser into custody. The Sssssssssuspect was refusing to cooperate but was ultimately apprehended."
Where can I learn more?
Similar encounters have played out in patrol cars, on busy roads, and in nearby neighborhoods. These stories follow police, drivers, and rescuers dealing with snakes in all the wrong places.
• In Commerce City, Colo., police couldn't get a rattlesnake out of a patrol car.
• In Dhaka, rescuers say snakes frequently sneak into human settlements as urbanization closes in.
• In Pennsylvania, rescuers couldn't leave this animal slithering across a busy street.
• In Arkansas, residents found snakes taking over a vacant home as they sought shelter.
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