Where is Samuel L. Jackson when you need him most?
The latest in a series of wild-animal stories in the city, a Bronx man looking to use the bathroom in his 19th-floor Soundview apartment found himself an unwanted visitor in the form of a 3 foot yellow-and-white corn snake rested on his toilet seat, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
Although the snake was non-venomous, the Bronx man—who was not identified by the police—was clearly startled by the reptile, calling 911 twice before the authorities could come and deliver the snake to the city’s Animal Care and Control center, located in Harlem, the paper reported. The snake was evaluated there, and will be taken to a snake sanctuary somewhere in the city.
Authorities are still not sure how the snake, which is native in the Southeastern states, made its way into the bathroom, although it is, “within the realm of possibility,” one expert told the Journal, that the snake slithered through the water lines and came out of the toilet.
"Corn snakes are not particularly known for being fond of water, but all snakes are good swimmers," said Jack Conrad, who co-curates an exhibit on snakes and lizards at the American Museum of Natural History to the Wall Street Journal. "Snakes can hold their breath for a long time, but you have to wonder how it entered the plumbing pipes to begin with. It's possible, but seems really tough."
Another possibility, however, is that the snakes entered the room through a tiny hole in the wall or the heating ducts, the Journal reported..
"Snakes are notorious for being escape artists who can fit their bodies in places that you would never think possible," Bronx Zoo director Jim Breheny told the Journal.
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Authorities are also unsure how the snake made its way to New York from the Southeast, although corn snakes are common as pets, as they are relatively passive and non-venomous.
