A quiet backyard in Freehold, New Jersey turned into the scene of an unexpected wildlife rescue after homeowners discovered a massive Burmese python had taken up residence in their shed. The Daly family first noticed something was off when a neighbor spotted the snake slithering through the yard, and what followed was a rescue effort that took hours, a contractor, and a lot of nerve.
The python, measuring roughly eight feet long, had wedged itself into a hole beneath the shed floor. Animal control officers were called in first, reported Eyewitness News, but they quickly realized this was no ordinary catch. The snake would not budge, and the reason became clear once officers with the Monmouth County SPCA arrived to help.
It turned out the python was not just hiding. It was digesting. The snake had recently eaten a full meal before crawling into its hiding spot, and its swollen belly made it too large to pull back out through the hole it had entered. Freeing the snake meant literally tearing up the shed’s floorboards and digging around the animal to work it loose, all while trying to figure out exactly where its head was hiding.
Once the python was finally out, SPCA medical staff took radiographs to assess its condition and determine exactly what it had eaten. The answer, thankfully, was not a family pet. It was a possum that had become the python’s last meal before the python’s own unexpected trip to the vet.
How Did a Python End Up in New Jersey?
Burmese pythons are not native to New Jersey, or anywhere in the United States for that matter. They are typically found in Southeast Asia, and their presence in a suburban backyard raised immediate questions. Officials suspect the snake may have been someone’s pet at one point before being released into the wild, since owning a Burmese python in New Jersey is legal, but only with a proper permit.
That detail matters because a python this size does not just show up on its own. Wildlife experts note that pythons like this one pose a real risk to local wildlife and domestic pets, since a possum was clearly not too big of a meal for it to handle. A family dog or cat could just as easily have fit the bill.
What Happens to the Snake Now
The python will not be returning to the Daly family’s yard. Instead, it is expected to be placed either in a zoo or with a qualified reptile expert who can provide proper care and a secure enclosure.
Even the rescuers involved admitted the whole ordeal was a bit much, with one SPCA worker saying he was right there with the homeowners in not being much of a snake person himself.
The Risk (and Reward)
This story is a good reminder that exotic pets are not to be taken lightly, and releasing one into the wild is not a solution when an owner can no longer care for it. It puts local wildlife and pets at risk, and it turns a routine animal control call into a full construction project.
Hopefully, this python finds a proper home where it can live out its days without startling any more New Jersey homeowners.