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Ugh, Another Snake Just Emerged From a Toilet
What's the only thing worse than snakes on an airplane? Snakes in your toilet. Before now, you probably didn't think that was even a thing. Unfortunately, the nightmare scenario became reality on Tuesday when a San Diego PR firm found a five-foot boa constrictor in the toilet at their office. That's not the worst of it. The sizable serpent wasn't just chillin' in the bowl like it was a personal hot tub; it only emerged when an employee attempted to plunge the toilet, likely scarring her for life. What's next? Snakes in the pantry? Snakes in your armoire? Snakes at Chipotle???
Stephanie Lacsa, cofounder of Vertical PR + Marketing in downtown San Diego, was just going about her business — or, should I say, about to do her business — when she noticed that the water in the toilet was higher than normal. Deciding to be proactive, she grabbed a plunger and started plunging away. It's a decision that will probably haunt her for the rest of her life, because as she plunged the toilet, something truly unexpected emerged. Lacsa told San Diego's KGTV:
I thought my eyes were deceiving me. But as soon I saw the flicker of its tongue, I definitely knew that it was, in fact, a large snake heading straight toward me.
What.
I ran out of the bathroom screaming louder than I'd like to admit and taped the door shut.
Taping the door shut is great thinking since playing "Which part of the office could the snake have slithered to?" does not sound like a fun game. She then called the county Department of Animal Services, who probably thought they were being punked at first. But then they showed up and saw that a five-foot boa constrictor was, indeed, hanging out in the bathroom of a PR firm in downtown San Diego.
The snake, which was officially identified as a Colombian rainbow boa, is currently under the care of the Department of Animal Services. Director Dan DeSousa told U-T San Diego that they found a few mites on the snake and though it's slightly underweight at 4.78 pounds, it's in good health overall. But that doesn't mean he's in a good mood.
"He’s a little nippy," DeSousa told the paper. "He bit one of our staff."
That could be because it's currently shedding its skin, or maybe because it was stuck in a toilet pipe for God knows how long. I'd be cranky too.
The building's manager, Jason Zana, sent a mass email to all the tenants of the building asking if anyone owned a boa constrictor, and later learned that someone on the fourth floor did. According to U-T San Diego, Zana sent the following message to the building's residents:
After following the trail of the snake and doing my best Ace Ventura impression, it looks like the snake was just a lost pet of one of our tenants. So, we can all relax now that we know our sewer systems are not infested with snakes!
However, the owner has not come forth to claim the creature and Animal Services will send the snake to a local reptile rescue group if it's not claimed by Friday.
Holly Wells, cofounder of Vertical PR + Marketing, told KGTV:
The snake scared the living daylights out of us, but we truly hope he gets the care he needs and can be placed in a good home. I also hope that the new owners of that home know how to keep their toilet seat lids down.
