A New Jersey family got a startling surprise when a huge exotic python with a noticeably swollen midsection was found hiding beneath the floor of their shed — and an X-ray later revealed exactly what the snake had swallowed.
Leslie Daley first saw the alarming reptile moving through the backyard of her Freehold home while she was watering flowers, her husband, Ed, told WABC.
The Daleys soon realized the snake, later identified as an approximately 8-foot Burmese python, had slipped through a hole and settled underneath the shed floor.
Worried by the unexpected visitor, the family contacted the Monmouth County SPCA. Officials responded and, with assistance from a local contractor, removed the shed’s floorboards to reach the animal.
Dramatic video showed animal control officers carefully lifting the long python from its makeshift hiding place, its body marked by a large bulge near the middle.
Burmese pythons are native to Southeast Asia, not New Jersey or the northeastern United States, animal experts said. Still, the exotic snakes may be legally kept in New Jersey with a permit, NBC New York reported.
Veterinary staff later performed an X-ray, which showed the python’s recent meal had been a large opossum, according to the Monmouth County SPCA.
The snake has since been placed in a secure enclosure under the care of an experienced handler while officials search for a permanent home.
“Exotic pets do NOT belong in the wild! Releasing them harms local wildlife, domestic pets, and the exotic animal itself,” the Monmouth County SPCA wrote in a social media post.
“If you can no longer care for a reptile, please reach out to a local rescue or shelter instead.”
