Snake's Not Only Alive, But Red-Eyed Intruder Cozying Up in Royal Oak Home

ROYAL OAK, MI — Here's something that doesn't happen every day: A Royal Oak resident came home to find an elongated fiery, red-eyed snake wrapped around the utility pipe in the home's laundry room.

According to a post on the city of Royal Oak's Facebook page, the resident was greeted by what appeared to be a subspecies of a Kingsnake hiding in the back of the laundry room.

The resident called the Royal Oak Police Department out of sheer panic, even though the police normally only deal with cats and dogs.

Thankfully, Dispatcher Teri Murray was on duty. Murray previously worked in an animal hospital for nine years and offered to come by and rescue the snake.

“I used a step stool to reach up and get the snake,” Murray said. “It was cold and lethargic and easy to handle."

Experts believe the snake was wrapped around the utility pipe to try to warm up.

Murray took the snake home and has been taking care of it ever since. She said in a Facebook post that the snake isn't aggressive at all, and she believes it's someone's pet that somehow escaped.

The Royal Oak Police Department is looking to return the traveling reptile to its rightful owner. Anyone who believes they're the owner of the snake can call the Royal Oak Police at (248) 246-3500.

Photo credit: City of Royal Oak