Local police in Malaga, Spain grappled with a 5-foot long snake found inside of a water meter cabin outside of a house. Officers within the department's Nature Protection Group responded to the incident and they were able to safely remove the slithering reptile, which was identified as a "bastard snake," or Malpolon monspessulanus.
A video posted to the police department's YouTube page on October 26 showed an officer opening a small door to the water meter cabin. He crouches down to get a closer look inside before using a snake-catching tool to reach inside the cabin. The head of the snake briefly pokes out and retreats back into the cabin. The officer reaches back into the cabin with the snake-catching tool and successfully retrieves the snake.
He held it up in the air as he examined it before placing it in a white plastic bin.
According to the video caption, officers spoke with the homeowner who said he heard a hiss coming from the water meter cabin. The homeowner shined a light into the cabin, and when he was unable to identify the snake species, he called the police.
Officers transferred the snake to the Municipal Zoosanitary Center where it was evaluated and determined to be in an appropriate condition to be released.
"The local police [proceeded] to transfer her to a forest area away from human presence, where they proceeded to release her," the caption read.
The bastard snake, according to Malaga's official government page, is a large snake but it is not very strong. It can grow nearly 2 meters, or 6.5 feet, long. They are normally found living in environments with hills and a warm and sunny environment. The article stated that it is a common species throughout Malaga.
"It has a very diverse diet: from insects [especially young ones] to chicken and bird eggs, little mammals and other reptiles," the article read.
Although the snake has teeth at the back of its mandible that can release venom, it is difficult for the snake to release the venom into humans that they bite. And, aside from a minor reaction, a bite typically does not pose a danger to humans.
Snakes find a way of slithering their way into places people don't expect to find them.
Newsweek reported that a child in Australia found a venomous snake in their school backpack.
Gianni Hodgson, a snake catcher, received a call about the snake, which was a red-bellied black snake, and safely removed it from the school.
The red-bellied black snake is venomous and can cause significant illness with its bite, but no deaths have been recorded.
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