A couple in Franklin Township, New Jersey, made an unexpected discovery after returning home from a routine car service appointment: a 3-foot ball python was stuck in their vehicle's grille.
Fortunately, local police officers eventually freed the snake.
Here's what to know
Because animal control handles only domesticated animals, the agency didn't respond after police were called, Hawaii News Now reported. CNN and the Franklin Township Police Department said the couple found the snake after getting home from a wheel alignment.
Police said officers spent about 20 minutes removing the ball python from the vehicle's front grille.
How the snake got into the car is still unknown.
Where can I learn more?
Snakes turning up in and around vehicles isn't as unusual as it sounds. As human development encroaches on wild animal habitat, frightening encounters like this may become more common.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
Ball pythons are not native to New Jersey, and even if the snake was born in the wild, it likely was the offspring of pythons that were either domesticated and escaped or smuggled into the state. Its presence in the state is concerning, as they could outcompete local snakes for food and other resources, and could even hunt those snakes, threatening their numbers.
These articles follow ball pythons and other large snakes found in car engines, on highways, and during removals.
• In Florida, deputies found a ball python curled around a car engine and searched for its owner.
• On a highway, a driver spotted a harmless Montpellier snake clinging to the car's door handle.
• In South Africa, motorists were stunned by an enormous snake crossing near traffic.
• In Florida, a local snake remover was thanked for capturing and removing a 12-foot python.
• In the Florida Everglades, a snake remover grappled with a hissing dragon of a Burmese python.
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.
