Police in Florida successfully rescued a boa snake from the hood of a car.
Police in Florida Rescues 'Dehydrated' Snake From Car Hood
Police in Florida rescued a snake after they received a call about the reptile being curled up on a car's hood.
Officers arrived at the scene to find a huge snake that looked "dehydrated" and were able to rescue it using a snake hook (essentially a long stick with a hook on the end of it), the Clearwater Police Department explained on social media alongside a slideshow of photos from the incident.
The police officer who rescued the snake kept a snake hook in her car.
"Talk about an unusual catch of a slithery suspect," the Police Department joked on Facebook.
"Sgt. Hinkebein and Officer Roy were called to the 1300 block of Franklin Street this afternoon after someone reported a snake camped out atop a car hood. Equipped with a snake hook — yes, the sergeant is ever-prepared and carries one in her car — they were able to bravely wrangle the reptilian rascal and take it to a local pet store that will find the boa a proper home. It was more than 5 feet long and appeared to be dehydrated. Excellent work by this dynamic pet-detective duo!"
Clearwater Police officers were able to save the snake from the hood of the car and deliver it to a local pet store.
Once the snake had safely been brought into the pet store, Sgt. Hinkebein proudly posed with the beast.
On Instagram, commenters praised the officer's courage.
"She is brave!!!!" wrote one person.
"Excellent work! ❤️," said someone else.
The boa was found in a state of dehydration on the hood of a car.
Boa constrictors are not native to Florida but have been present in the region since roughly the 1970s, according to Florida Museum.
These snakes are non-venomous but their bites can be dangerous and even fatal to dogs and cats. However, boas generally only attack when they are purposefully bothered.
While boas specifically aren't native to Florida, there are plenty of snake species that are: 44 to be exact, per the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, only six of which are venomous.
With that said, if you do see a snake in the wild, the best thing to do is typically to leave it be and not bother it — snakes would rather avoid encounters with human and will typically slither away quickly.
The rescuing officer proudly posed with the snake once it had been brought to a local pet store.
Wildlife in Florida is incredibly diverse, with alligators, bears, tortoises, deer, armadillos and coyotes all making common sightings in the state.
Predictably, these animals are known to get into some sometimes wholesome, sometimes potentially dangerous scrapes in the region, like the alligator that was "arrested" after crashing a tiki bar happy hour, or the African spurred tortoise that was briefly on the run from the law (well, technically, its family), or the injured black bear that was found hiding out in a tree.