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Ball python next to a trash can in a park
You never know what you’re going to encounter when you work a job where you’re tasked with picking up other people’s garbage. That was certainly the case for one person who was clearing out trash cans at a park in California before encountering a live python that had been deposited in one of them.
There are a number of reasons snakes aren’t at the top of the list of most the popular pets in the United States (the approximately 1.3 million owned by Americans account for around 20% of the “reptile” category, which comes in fourth behind dogs, cats, and fish).
The fact that around 50% of people experience anxiety around snakes is probably the biggest factor, but they’re also relatively high-maintenance animals that require a fairly specialized diet and a climate-controlled environment to survive.
Some people are not prepared for the responsibilities that come with owning one, and some of them opt to rid themselves of that burden by dumping them somewhere in the wild and letting nature take its course (it is widely believed that former pet owners are responsible for the massive population of Burmese pythons that have managed to invade the Everglades).
That was seemingly the case with one person in California, as a public worker got an unexpected surprise at the park they were working at earlier this week.
A four-foot ball python was found in a trash can in a park in California
According to KTLA, a city employee was dispatched to Brand Park in Glendale, California on Monday, November 2nd, and they were emptying out trash cans when they were greeted by an unexpected surprise: a ball python that was curled up inside one of them.
An animal control officer was dispatched to the scene and transported the nonvenomous snake, which measured around four feet long, to the Pasadena Humane Society, which conducted a checkup before placing the python, which is currently “enjoying the occasional soak in his pool,” in its new home.
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It’s currently unclear how the python ended up in the trash in the first place, but it seems safe to assume it was placed there by someone who was tired of caring for it when you consider they’re native to Africa.