West Allis boa constrictor found under car hood
A family found a 4-foot boa constrictor beneath their car’s hood, prompting a 10-minute rescue in West Allis.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
A West Allis boa constrictor car discovery gave one Wisconsin family a fright over Labor Day weekend after they found a roughly 4-foot snake coiled under the hood of an unused vehicle at their home.
Windy Tuck told TMJ4 that she and her husband had been checking the car when they spotted what they initially took to be a grimy hose near the engine compartment. The object then moved and turned toward them, revealing it was a large snake.
The family stepped away and sought help. According to TMJ4 and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the calls eventually brought in the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission, known as MADACC, and Cindy Steinle, founder of Small Scale Reptile Rescue.
How was the boa constrictor removed from the car?
Steinle identified the animal from photographs as a boa constrictor, a species she said is not native to Wisconsin. She told TMJ4 that she climbed onto the vehicle’s hood and irritated and tickled the snake until it began moving out of its hiding place.
The removal took about 10 minutes, TMJ4 reported, and no one was injured. The Journal Sentinel reported that the snake had worked its way into the vehicle’s engine compartment before Steinle got it out.
How it reached the car has not been established. Steinle told TMJ4 that it could have been a pet that escaped or was abandoned, but that remains a possibility rather than a confirmed explanation.
What happened to the snake?
The boa was placed in MADACC’s care for a mandatory stray-hold period, according to TMJ4. If an owner does not claim it, the animal could be transferred to Small Scale Reptile Rescue and later offered for adoption.
Steinle said the snake appeared healthy. She also advised people who encounter a reptile or exotic animal that appears out of place to call local animal control or a rescue organization instead of attempting to handle it themselves.
- The snake was found under the hood of a car at a West Allis home.
- Responders identified it as a roughly 4-foot boa constrictor.
- Its origin remains unknown, and it is being held while officials await a possible owner claim.
This story draws on original reporting from UPI.