Residents in Sherwood, Nottinghamshire, sparked an unusual rescue after spotting a four-foot boa constrictor slithering down a driveway and disappearing beneath a parked car.
After opening the hood, police found the reptile lodged in the engine bay and improvised a retrieval tool from a wire coat hanger and a baton.
Here's what to know
As Talker News reported, Nottinghamshire Police responded to a home after residents saw the snake moving across the property. The officers' search ended at the parked car, where they found the boa tucked inside the engine compartment.
To get the snake free, Police Constable Dan Howard and Sgt. Joanna Stanbridge taped a coat hanger to a police baton to create a makeshift snake hook. Using that tool along with a stab vest bag, they worked through the engine area and carefully drew the animal out. Howard then secured the boa and with Stanbridge's help placed it into the bag.
Authorities took the boa constrictor to a local veterinarian as they worked to identify its owner. Chief Inspector Paul Hennessy of Nottinghamshire Police praised the officers' quick thinking.
"This incident showcased perfectly the variety of different situations our officers can find themselves in when they start a shift," he said, according to Talker News.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
More background
Many tense human-animal encounters happen when animals are stressed, displaced, or trapped in spaces shaped by people.
According to a BBC explainer on why wild animals attack humans, human expansion into wild areas can increase the odds of dangerous interactions.
In this situation, however, the boa appeared to have been an escaped pet. The exotic pet trade has introduced species to new ecosystems around the world. Many become invasive, wreaking havoc on indigenous populations of plants and animals and local economies.
A job well done
While the situation could have ended badly for the boa and nearby residents, the police resolved it without serious incident.
"Their actions ultimately resulted in the four-foot-long boa constrictor being safely retrieved from the car engine without coming to any harm, which was good to see," Hennessy said, according to Talker News. "As I say, this was just the latest reminder that, in policing, no two shifts are ever the same."
Where can I learn more?
Such events aren't all that unusual. Snakes regularly turn up in places people don't expect. These articles cover police responses, roadside encounters, and boa removals in neighborhoods and on highways.
• In Fulshear, Texas, an officer barehanded a rat snake in a neighborhood used to gator calls.
• On a Spanish highway, a driver saw a Montpellier snake clinging to the car's door handle.
• In Mallorca, police responded after a dead snake dangled from a traffic mirror amid rising sightings.
• In Pennsylvania, rescuers moved a boa constrictor from a busy street before traffic could harm it.
• In Florida, firefighters rushed in when snakes turned up in homes and alarmed residents.
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.
