It was a typical summer day in Austin, Texas, when a pair of homeowners spotted something unusual in their yard. Nestled in the grass was the green plastic lid covering part of their underground sprinkler system, and a long snake had somehow gotten stuck
in one of its small openings.
Without skipping a beat, the homeowners rushed to the snake's aid. The poor guy had slithered into one of the lid's small openings in search of a meal, only to find it was too tight for him to squeeze back out. His head was trapped inside while the rest of his body remained exposed.
So, the couple carefully removed the lid from the sprinkler system with the snake still wedged inside, then drove him straight to Austin Wildlife Rescue (AWR).
Upon arrival, the AWR team immediately attempted to dislodge him from the plastic lid as carefully as possible. But the snake’s patience was running thin, and he began to lash out against the people helping him.
“An unhappy snake that is scared and strikes upon exam makes things a tad more difficult,” AWR wrote on Facebook.
You can see more images from his rescue here:
But they refused to give up on the “grumpy fella.” The team carefully sedated the snake, then resumed their extraction efforts once he was calmer. Thankfully, it didn’t take long after that to free him.
“[We] were able to slowly back him back out of the sprinkler cover with only a few minor scratches and bruises on his underside,” AWR wrote.
The team was relieved to learn that the snake was overall healthy and unharmed by the sprinkler lid. After some rest and TLC, the snake was as good as new — and the folks at AWR couldn’t have been happier at the outcome.
The snake's predicament ultimately had a happy ending, thanks to everyone who stopped to help. Now, his friends at AWR just hope his next adventure doesn't land him in another sticky situation.
“This is proof that the snack isn’t always worth the struggle!” AWR wrote.
