Giant Snakes Continue To Slither Into Cars’ Engine Bays, And We’d Really Like Them To Stop

If you opened your car’s hood and found something like a squirrel or a kitten in your engine bay, you’d probably be surprised, but at the same time, it’s far from unheard of. These kinds of things happen. Heck, you might even find a possum in there for whatever reason. But what about a snake? And what if that snake also happened to be an eight-foot-long boa constrictor? As it turns out, that recently happened at a dealership service department in South Carolina.

WMBF News reports that Tuesday morning, the owner of a Ford Focus took their car to their local dealer to fix some problems that as far as they knew weren’t snake-related. Just routine maintenance. But when the mechanic popped the hood, though, they were greeted with a snake in the engine bay that turned out to be an eight-foot-long albino boa constrictor.

“I didn’t really jump back. I didn’t know what it was. It looked like it was fake, so I poked it, and it moved,” Tony Galli told WMBF News. “I was like, ‘Uh, that’s alive.” He then explained, “I called the shop foreman down to see if he likes playing with snakes, because I don’t really care for them.” Which we’re going to say is definitely understandable.

Instead of yanking the snake out himself, the foreman called in a professional snake wrangler who reportedly believed the snake is an escaped pet. It was reportedly a little malnourished and pretty hungry but otherwise appeared to be in pretty good shape. If the owner wants to claim their missing snake, they’ll be able to, although they may be on the hook for the vet bill. If they don’t show up to claim it, the snake will reportedly be sent to a breeder since South Carolina winters are too cold for it to survive.

If this incident sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the second time it’s happened this month. About two weeks ago, a Wisconsin driver found a python in their engine bay, although that time, it measured in at only seven feet long. The longest that we’re aware of was also a python, but it was found in Florida and clocked in at a full ten feet long. We’re not sure the snakes have any intention of listening to us, but for the record, we would really appreciate it if they would stop doing that. Engine bays aren’t designed for snakes, so if they could just stay in their little snake homes, that sounds like the best decision for everyone involved.