To fear

Strangler dangled from the door to greet us

This constrictor snake "greeted" the couple in Leonding.(Bild: Linzer Animal Ambulance)

Who wouldn't be frightened? A 1.20-metre-long king python "greeted" a young couple hanging from the door handle as they came home in Leonding (Upper Austria). The reptile was hypothermic, had probably been abandoned and was now looking for a new home.

A young woman and her boyfriend will probably remember this experience for a long time to come. When they arrived at their home in an apartment building in Leonding around midnight on Tuesday, a snake was dangling from the door buckle.

After the initial shock, the couple had the presence of mind to react: they photographed the reptile and quickly established from the picture on the internet that it was a non-native specimen. The young people immediately informed the fire department and were referred to the Linz Animal Ambulance. When they arrived at the scene, the constrictor had curled up on the sidewalk in front of the house.

This constrictor snake "greeted" the couple in Leonding.(Bild: Linzer Animal Ambulance)

It was too cold for the snake
"It was already very sluggish. This snake always needs 23 to 26 degrees and 70 percent humidity," says animal rescuer Manuela Bichler. That is why it no longer showed any defensive reaction when the animal rescuers lifted it into a special transport box. She spent the night there and was taken to the animal shelter in Linz the next morning.

When we arrived, the snake was lying on the sidewalk in front of the house. The reptile was already very lethargic due to the cool temperatures and felt cold. It didn't put up any resistance when we caught it.

Manuela Bichler von der Tierrettung Linzer Animal Ambulance, die sich der exotischen Schlange angenommen hat

"The couple reacted very calmly, they were just glad that someone had picked up the snake," says Bichler. The king python is a non-poisonous constrictor that is found in the tropics of West and Central Africa - adult animals can grow up to two meters long. This species also loves to climb.

Not the only exotic animal at the shelter
The reptile is not the only wriggling exotic at the Linz animal shelter: in addition to another king python, a tiger python and a corn snake are also waiting for their owners. "Most of them were abandoned. The animals often get too big, or the owners underestimate the high electricity costs," says an employee. The snake caught in Leonding was examined by a vet and is now in quarantine. The owner has not yet contacted us.