NEWS AND STAR (Carlisle, UK) 24 January 07 Rattle In Car Engine
Garage staff in Carlisle had to dismantle one of their courtesy cars – to release a pet python.
The 3ft snake had been trapped inside a BMW 3-series for a week when it was returned to the garage with the snake still hidden inside.
It took mechanics at Lloyd BMW two hours to dismantle parts of the car yesterday before they found the python curled up inside heating ducts. Unfortunately, it was dead.
“It’s certainly one of the most unusual things ever to have been left in a courtesy car,” said master technician Gary Dickson. “It took quite some time to get it out.”
The snake’s owner told garage staff at Kingstown that the python had escaped when it was inside a box in the car. He had got out of the car to get some food while on the way to a party, and when he came back the snake had disappeared.
“He had tried to retrieve it himself but it was fairly well hidden,” said Mr Dickson.
“He had been trying to tempt it out with food, but with no success.”
Mr Dickson patiently stripped down parts of the car around the gearstick yesterday morning and found the snake coiled in heating ducts underneath the central console.
“We had to take as much of the interior out around the area as we could,” Mr Dickson added. “It took a couple of hours.”
He said the car had been dropped off on Monday night and they kept it overnight before they could examine it properly in the morning.
It is thought the snake headed for the heating ducts because of the warmth.
RSPCA Inspector Chris Towler said snakes were renowned for being ‘escape artists’.
“If there is a chink in the receptacle a snake is being carried in, it will find it,” he said.
“Some cars can have quite large holes in the footwells and it is not surprising to hear of this snake escaping.”
He said a snake of this size could survive for up to two weeks without food and it was probably killed by the temperature.
Insp Towler said people should transport snakes in a cloth bag or pillow case, securely tied with a cable, and then placed in a box, with a hot water bottle to provide heat.
There was nothing the owner could have done to tempt it out, he thought, but should have taken the car to the garage sooner.
Rattle In Car Engine