A routine stop for gas led to an alarming surprise for one Pennsylvania family: a live python under the hood of their car, PennLive reported.
The discovery came around 7 a.m., when one family member spotted what was described as an abandoned snake in the family's vehicle in Richland, Lebanon County.
Here's what to know
Forgotten Friend — a reptile sanctuary focused on rescue and education — later identified the animal as an Australian carpet python, a species not native to Pennsylvania.
In a video the sanctuary recorded, one family member described how suddenly the situation changed.
"While I was pumping gas, I thought I better check the oil on the engine," they explained. "I opened the hood and as soon as I opened it, it [the snake] lunged at me and I quickly shut the hood."
The python was not injured while inside the vehicle.
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The man then drove home, and he and his son — who reportedly loves snakes — removed it and placed it in an empty tank until rescuers arrived.
More background
This was not a wild Pennsylvania snake that somehow ended up in the wrong place.
It appears to have been a captive reptile that someone either lost or abandoned.
Although experts suspected the snake in question was an escaped or abandoned pet, situations like these are becoming far more commonplace worldwide, according to the BBC.
As the planet gets warmer, cities sprawl, and habitat shrinks, human-wildlife encounters are on the rise, posing a risk to people and animals.
Forgotten Friend was already in the Lebanon area when the call came, and members retrieved the reptile in pouring rain before taking it to the sanctuary in Elizabeth Township, Lancaster County, PennLive reported.
The family thought the snake may have come from a former neighbor who kept snakes as pets, but that person had already moved away before the python was found.
What's being done?
Forgotten Friend took custody of the python and brought it back to the sanctuary.
Forgotten Friend is also trying to determine where the animal came from.
Because other reptiles could have been released as well, the sanctuary asked anyone with information about the snake's owner to contact the facility.
It can be reached via Facebook or by email at info@forgottenfriend.org.
Where can I learn more?
This wasn't the first time a snake has turned up in or around a vehicle. These stories follow pythons and other snakes found in car engines, under hoods, and even clinging to moving vehicles.
• In Florida, deputies searched for an owner after a ball python curled around a vehicle engine.
• In Florida, a woman found a live ball python tucked inside her car engine.
• A driver filmed a large snake peeking out from a car hood while traveling.
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