If you thought having to get an oil change or tires rotated was bad, try having a live python wedged under your vehicle. That's the headache-inducing problem one Chicago woman faced. On October 1, the woman noticed a ball python traveling from her friend's house to just behind her vehicle.
The reptile then wedged itself underneath her Toyota Crown sedan. As you can imagine, the freaked-out woman reached out to the local authorities. But neither police nor animal control offered much help. They couldn't figure out how to get the snake out of the car. That's when she reached out to Brad Lundsteen, owner of Suburban Wildlife Control.
According to the Daily Herald, Lundsteen was something of a pro at removing animals. However, he found this to be a tough job. The animal control expert said he's removed dozens of snakes throughout his nearly 40-year career. However, this python posed an additional challenge given its unconventional hiding spot.
Python In Hiding
"They're definitely not native to the area," he said. "It's almost always somebody's pet that has gotten out or gotten too big. So they disposed of it."
Lundsteen ended up searching underneath the vehicle, but he couldn't find the reptile. However, it's musky stench told the animal wrangler that it was still indeed hiding under the car. Unable to properly search the vehicle, he got the owner to bring it to State Street Collison. They were able to lift the car so he could take a closer look.
What started there was a big game of hide and seek. Mechanics had to remove the car's rear wheels. That's when they found the python coiled above the axle. "I was pulling it really hard, and then it finally just popped out," Lundsteen said. It took half an hour to remove.
"I thought it would be twice as big — I was kind of shocked," Lundsteen said. "I expected it to be much longer... They can get gigantic. We had one that was 16 feet long that had escaped out of an apartment building and literally coiled itself around a car."
So what happens to the snake? Well, the expert is bringing it to a reptile rescue facility, so at least it's not going off to be executed.
"I know the snake didn't come from here obviously, so it just goes to show animals do get in and hitch rides," Lundsteen told WMAQ-TV.
