Beach-going boas disrupt Stockholm sunbathing
The unseasonably warm weather wasn't the only thing which surprised a woman headed to the beach in the Stockholm suburb of Hässelby on Sunday afternoon.
The woman’s sunbathing was interrupted when she discovered a nearly two-metre long boa constrictor coiled up nearby.
“She alerted authorities and as she was talking to police she saw yet another [snake] lying beside a bush,” said police spokesperson Ann-Sofie Ahlgren to the TT news agency.
The police then contacted experts from the Skansen animal park in Stockholm.
“But they didn’t have time to come and get the snakes. So we sent out a patrol, and they tried to catch the snakes. They were able to get one in a bag, but the other acted somewhat aggressively,” said Ahlgren.
Fortunately for police, another beach-goer familiar with how to handle snakes happened to be in the area. With the help of a stick, the man and police succeeded in getting both boas loaded into two brown bags normally used to collect evidence.
“The snakes aren’t supposed to be dangerous and don’t usually bite. They hug—and are called hugging snakes, or so we’ve learned,” said Ahlgren.
The snakes, one of which was about 1.5 metres long and the other somewhat shorter, were later taken to Skansen for safe keeping.
“No owner has come forward. It’s unclear if they’ve escaped or if someone let them out,” said Ahlgren.
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The woman’s sunbathing was interrupted when she discovered a nearly two-metre long boa constrictor coiled up nearby.
“She alerted authorities and as she was talking to police she saw yet another [snake] lying beside a bush,” said police spokesperson Ann-Sofie Ahlgren to the TT news agency.
The police then contacted experts from the Skansen animal park in Stockholm.
“But they didn’t have time to come and get the snakes. So we sent out a patrol, and they tried to catch the snakes. They were able to get one in a bag, but the other acted somewhat aggressively,” said Ahlgren.
Fortunately for police, another beach-goer familiar with how to handle snakes happened to be in the area. With the help of a stick, the man and police succeeded in getting both boas loaded into two brown bags normally used to collect evidence.
“The snakes aren’t supposed to be dangerous and don’t usually bite. They hug—and are called hugging snakes, or so we’ve learned,” said Ahlgren.
The snakes, one of which was about 1.5 metres long and the other somewhat shorter, were later taken to Skansen for safe keeping.
“No owner has come forward. It’s unclear if they’ve escaped or if someone let them out,” said Ahlgren.
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