SOUTHERN DAILY ECHO (Southampton, UK) 29 September 06 Snakes alive after boa is found inside car bonnet (Andrew Napier)
Mechanic Tim Smith was left grappling with an unusual problem while working on a car at a Winchester garafe when he opened up the bonnet to discover a boa constrictor.
Tim made the discovery at the Martins garage in Winchester.
It was a baby boa constrictor about six months old and four feet long wrapped around the brake fluid reservoir.
Tim said: "I opened the bonnet and looked in and saw something wrapped around the reservoir. At first I thought it might be a scarf.
"I took a second look and you could say I was a bit shocked. I'm not all that keen on snakes."
Luckily the Nissan and Renault dealer has a South African mechanic Michael Watson who knew immediately the snake was harmless. Boas are non-poisonous and kill their prey by crushing them to death. He took it home on Thursday to keep it warm Paul Harris, principal dealer, said: "In 22 years I have never comes across anything like it. You find lots of things but never a live animal in the engine."
They phoned the owner, a woman in Andover, who denied the snake was hers. But it transpired that her neighbour has lost their pet snake. Owner and snake were reunited today.
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