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Picture yourself coming face-to-face with a snake in your home, office, or any space you've always felt secure. This unsettling scenario has unfolded on multiple occasions. Recent snake invasions have caused panic among residents and authorities, leading to lawsuits and prompt removal actions. These ten unusual snake incidents have happened to others, but there's no reason they couldn't happen to you too.
10. Nightmare Home Snake Invasions
Jeff and Jody Brooks believed they'd found their ideal home when they moved into their new property in Annapolis, Maryland, in December 2015. However, what they discovered instead was a nightmare. A dozen black rat snakes had infiltrated their home. The pest control company's advice? 'Burn the house down and leave it for 15 years.'
Months after settling into their new home, their four-year-old son had his first encounter with one of the snakes. Since then, the family has discovered many more snakes, nests, and shed skins. After the third snake sighting, the family abandoned the house. The snakes varied in size, ranging from 1.8 to 2.1 meters (6–7 ft) long.
The couple ended up spending $60,000 on pest control services. Eventually, they filed a lawsuit against the previous owner, Joan Broseker, and her agent and daughter, Barbara Van Horn, who had sold them the house. They are seeking $2 million, which includes the $410,000 they paid for the house and $1 million in punitive damages. The family hopes to start fresh in a home that isn’t plagued by snakes.
9. Apartment Complex
Paul Robertson and his wife, Shawn Davis, filed a lawsuit against the manager of Bradford Gwinnett, an apartment complex in Norcross, Georgia, where they and other tenants have been living in close quarters with dangerous snakes. According to the couple, the manager has been negligent in dealing with snake invasions that began around 2013. They've encountered several snakes, including a rat snake and a 1.8-meter-long (6 ft) copperhead.
Robertson and Davis are deeply concerned for the safety of their four-month-old granddaughter, who frequently visits them. Additionally, a six-year-old child of another resident was bitten by one of the snakes. In protest of the snake infestations, the couple withheld their rent, which ultimately led to their eviction. Journalists have been unable to reach the manager for comment.
8. Seniors’ Complex
In 2009, residents of a senior housing complex in Inwood, Manitoba, about 75 kilometers (47 miles) from Winnipeg, began spotting snakes in the hallways, on kitchen counters, in beds, inside baseboard heaters, and even on external walls. One resident, Jim Monkman, recounted how a snake fell onto his shoulder as he was leaving his apartment. According to tenant Ann O’Malley, the snakes come from dens in Narcisse, several kilometers away, entering the apartments through pipes, doorways, air conditioners, and crawl spaces.
Housing Minister Gord Mackintosh promised to look into the issue immediately. However, Ralph Eichler, the conservative member of the Legislative Assembly for Lakeside, claimed that Manitoba Housing has been aware of the problem for years but has yet to take any action. In the meantime, tenants are worried not just about the snakes, but also about potential diseases and the foul smell and waste left behind by the reptiles.
7. Universities
Abuja University of Technology, located in Abaji, within the Banaskantha district of Gujarat, India, hadn't even opened before snakes overtook the campus, inhabiting the overgrown weeds surrounding the area. This forced the school to delay its planned opening in September 2013. Several stakeholders were concerned, especially since a substantial amount of money had been invested and 85 percent of the university’s infrastructure was already in place, yet no classes had started.
6. School
A few blocks from the school, another snake, likely a black rat snake, sparked a panic at the Wagener Medical Center, while a grass snake was captured at the nearby Silver Bluff High School in Aiken.
5. Courthouse
Brown DeKay’s snakes, also called earth snakes, took over the Hinds County, Mississippi, circuit clerk’s basement office in the spring of 2013, making it their home for several months. Deputy Clerk Kelly Phillips recalled that the largest of the nonvenomous snakes was about the width of her finger and several inches long.
Former zookeeper Percy King identified the snakes, explaining that their teeth were likely too soft to pierce human skin. While the snakes posed no threat, they still caused fear among Phillips and several of her coworkers.
4. Telecommunications Services Of Trinidad and Tobago
Employees at the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) in San Fernando were far from pleased when snakes invaded their workplace in July 2013. In fact, they decided to shut the facility down, refusing to work alongside the reptiles. Dylan Charles, a representative from the Communication Workers Union (CWU), voiced the workers' concerns about unsafe working conditions and criticized the company for failing to properly address the issue.
TSTT brought in a pest control service to spray the area, and some of the snakes were killed. However, despite these efforts to eradicate them, Charles mentioned that employees were still encountering snakes.
3. Kindergarten
In 2014, while kindergartners played on their playground, a deadly viper was lurking nearby, unnoticed until 2:00 PM. The kindergarten, located in the upscale Bavli neighborhood of Tel Aviv, Israel, was spotted by a frightened teacher, who quickly alerted Ofir Cohen, a snake trapper from Eli Cohen Pesticides. Cohen explained that the snake's venom can sometimes be fatal to adults, but is particularly dangerous to children.
Cohen criticized the Tel Aviv Municipality for its negligence, as they instructed the teacher to search for the snake on her own. She followed the directions, and according to Cohen, she was fortunate to avoid being bitten. No other snakes were found at the school.
2. Public Transportation Vehicles
In December 2012, an Egypt Air flight traveling from Cairo to Kuwait had to make an emergency landing in Al Ghardaqa, Egypt, after a passenger was bitten on the hand by a deadly cobra he had smuggled onto the plane. The man had been attempting to control the snake, which he had concealed in his carry-on bag. After biting him, the cobra slithered under the seats. The man declined medical help, claiming the bite was minor. Following the confiscation of the snake by local authorities, the flight continued on its way without any other incidents.
In September 2016, Japan’s punctual bullet trains continued their reputation for timeliness, even when one had to make an emergency stop after a 30-centimeter (12-inch) brown snake was spotted slithering between passengers’ seats. The train, traveling between Tokyo and Hiroshima, halted so that police could capture the snake. It appeared to be harmless, and no injuries were reported. NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, suggested that the snake might have been an immature rat snake.
None of the passengers on the train admitted to having smuggled the snake onboard, despite the fact that such actions are prohibited. Only humans, fish, and small birds are permitted on the trains. In a similar incident in 2011, a 1-meter (3.3 ft) nonvenomous Honduran milk snake caused another unexpected stop when it appeared on a bullet train near Kyoto.
1. Hospital
In September 2005, more than 200 snakes were extracted from Dike Hospital near Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England. The majority of the snakes were discovered in the boiler room, which was likely an attractive environment due to the heat. Forest ranger Eric Pritchard, who handled the removal, explained that the boiler room served as an ideal location for a pregnant snake to lay her eggs.
Back in 2001, a nurse opened a cupboard in the boiler room and stumbled upon 143 freshly hatched snakes. Spokesman Anthony Dallimore confirmed that the snakes had a longstanding presence at the hospital. While the sudden appearance of the snakes surprised both staff and patients, he reassured that they were non-threatening and that the snakes were safely removed.
