They thought they were dealing with an unusually large snake hiding beneath their backyard shed. But when rescuers saw the enormous bulge in its stomach, they knew there was more to the story.
It started with an ordinary afternoon in Freehold, New Jersey.
Leslie Daley was watering flowers in her backyard when she noticed something that definitely wasn’t supposed to be there.
A massive snake was hiding beneath the floor of the family’s shed.
The family quickly contacted the Monmouth County SPCA, and animal control officers arrived to investigate.
What they found was an 8-foot-long Burmese python.
And there was another detail that immediately caught their attention.
The snake’s stomach was enormously swollen.
Nobody knew what was inside
The python had apparently taken shelter underneath the shed, leaving the family with little choice but to call professionals.
Animal control officers carefully removed boards from the structure with help from a local contractor.
Then came the difficult part.
The officers had to reach underneath the shed and safely remove the enormous reptile without injuring themselves — or the snake.
According to the Monmouth County SPCA, their trained animal control officer patiently worked to unwind the python and eventually freed it.
But the snake’s unusually large stomach left everyone wondering:
What had this thing eaten?
The python was transported to the shelter for examination.
And an X-ray provided the answer.
The X-ray revealed its last meal
Inside the python was a large opossum.
The enormous snake had apparently swallowed the animal before taking refuge beneath the shed.
The rescue team cleaned the python and placed it in a secure tank while they searched for an appropriate long-term placement.
The Monmouth County SPCA later contacted reptile specialists at Fins & Feathers in Red Bank, who helped arrange a safe location for the snake.
For the rescuers, the bizarre discovery also highlighted a much bigger problem.
How did a Burmese python end up in New Jersey?
Burmese pythons are native to Southeast Asia.
They are not native to New Jersey or the northeastern United States.
So finding an 8-foot Burmese python underneath a residential shed naturally raised questions about where it came from.
According to local reports, Burmese pythons can legally be kept as exotic pets in New Jersey when the owner has the required permit.
That means the snake may have once belonged to someone.
But if an exotic pet is released or escapes, the consequences can be serious.
“Exotic pets do NOT belong in the wild”
The Monmouth County SPCA used the unusual rescue as an opportunity to remind pet owners of something important:
Never release an exotic animal into the wild.
A Burmese python might look fascinating when kept by an experienced and properly licensed owner, but it is not a native species in New Jersey.
Released exotic animals can threaten local wildlife, encounter dangers they are not prepared for, and potentially become a problem for people and other animals.
The shelter urged anyone who can no longer care for an exotic reptile to contact a rescue organization or animal shelter instead of abandoning it.
What happens to the python now?
For the moment, the python is being housed by a snake expert with the appropriate reptile permits.
Authorities are hoping that a properly permitted owner may come forward.
If nobody does, the snake will reportedly be placed in a new permanent home.
The bizarre discovery began with one family simply watering flowers in their backyard.
Instead, they found an 8-foot Burmese python hiding beneath their shed — with an opossum inside its stomach.
And what looked like an unbelievable backyard encounter became a reminder that exotic pets can create very real challenges when they end up where they don’t belong.
Would you have recognized what was hiding under the shed — or would you have run the other way?