While hiking at a quarry in Myerstown, Pennsylvania, a man noticed something wedged underneath a large rock. He quickly realized it was a snake, but recognized that the animal wasn’t what he seemed. His markings indicated he was a ball python, not a wild
snake — meaning he was likely an abandoned or lost pet.
The hiker posted about the encounter on Facebook, hoping someone would be able to help. He’d wanted to try and get the snake, later named Dwayne, himself, but he was wedged too far underneath the rock to grab safely. Luckily, Operation Reptile learned of Dwayne’s predicament and the team rushed out to the quarry to help.
The first challenge was finding where the snake was hiding. After comparing the photo of him to the rocks around the quarry, the team was miraculously able to locate where Dwayne. Unfortunately, he was still wedged too far underneath the rock to grab safely, so the team had to get creative.
“We didn’t want to pull on him or try to force him out, because we could have injured him in the process,” the team at Operation Reptile told The Dodo. “Instead, we used a stick very gently and carefully to nudge his face so that he would back himself out of the rocks on his own.”
Luckily, their method worked, and the rescuers were able to secure Dwayne and bring him to safety.
Dwanye’s condition was a little worse for wear, but his rescuers expected it to be worse considering he wasn’t meant to be living in the wild. He had some scrapes and his tail was in rough shape, but otherwise he was OK.
Throughout the entire rescue and afterwards, Dwayne remained calm and gentle, and everyone was so impressed by his demeanor after everything he’d been through.
“He never hissed at us, struck at anyone or showed any real aggression,” the team said. “Considering the circumstances he had been through and the fact that we were strangers reaching into the rocks trying to get him out, I was honestly surprised by how calm he was. He seemed to understand that we were trying to help him. We joked that he knew he was being saved by Operation Reptile!”
Now, Dwayne is decompressing in the care of his rescuers, and he’s as sweet as ever. They’re taking his recovery and readjustment one day at a time, taking cues from him before making any decisions about what’s next.
“We’re taking things slowly rather than rushing him,” the team said. “Our priority is making sure he’s comfortable, properly cared for and fully settled.”
