
Feb 2, 2006, Helsinki
Pet snake escapes through drain pipe - appears in neighbour's bedroom
The things one finds when one gets home after a shopping trip - a pet snake that went missing from a residential apartment in Helsinki's Pasila district caused a surprise on Wednesday morning by re-appearing in a neighbour's flat. Apparently, the bored reptile had decided to use the lavatory drain pipe or a ventilator shaft to go and see the world. The startled neighbour found the snake on his bedroom floor
The Rescue Department personnel used special equipment to lift the snake from underneath a radiator, where it had gone to warm up, into a fabric bag. The snake was then taken to a pet clinic to wait for the owner to come and pick it up.
The reptile, which was over a metre long, was first assumed to be a young boa, but was later identified as a kingsnake, a small constrictor that is harmless to humans. The species is not found in the wild in Finland, and even as a pet it is fairly rare, an expert commented.
Go over to my other journal to read about my new lizard!