'Distraught' Family Calls Wildlife Park for Help After Finding a Snake Hiding Under Their Sofa

Mar. 15, 2025

Snake found under sofa in England.Photo:Ark Wildlife & Dinosaur Park/ Facebook

Ark Wildlife & Dinosaur Park/ Facebook

Don’t worry about monsters under the bed. What aboutsnakes under the sofa?On Monday, Oct. 7, the ARK Wildlife & Dinosaur Park in Lincolnshire, England, revealed onFacebookthat it received a call from a “distraught lady” to remove a reptile that had found its way under her family’s couch.“I didn’t know what it was,” the woman’s husband, Harry Pantziz, toldBBCafter noting that his wife was the first to spot a snake’s head peeking from under the couple’s couch.“My wife called someone. We were watching from the window. It was a little scary,” he recalled of waiting outside for an expert to handle the scaly intruder.When someone from the park went to investigate, they found the whole family standing “outside their house” and the snake — described as a “Florida kingsnake” that was a meter (3 ft.) long —  under the sofa as described, according to ARK Wildlife & Dinosaur Park.“If you aren’t used to snakes, having one turn up in your house in the middle of the night is probably going to freak you out,” Jamie Mintram with ARK Wildlife & Dinosaur Park told BBC, adding that the family was “not very happy about his [the snake’s] presence.“A spokesperson for the park told the outlet that the snake “probably entered the home looking for warmth” since the creature “wouldn’t have survived for long outside” due to the cool temperature, which was between50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheitthat day.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The wildlife park and animal sanctuary shared a photo of the snake with brown and yellow scales peeking its head out from under the gray sofa. A second snap shows someone with the wildlife crew holding the small snake in their hand with a tool on the couch behind it.A Florida Kingsnake found under a couch in England.Ark Wildlife & Dinosaur Park/ FacebookThe park noted that the “poor little snake” — which they nicknamed “Mickey,” per BBC — was “definitely not a Lincolnshire native” and “was very cold” after being removed from under the couch. ARK took the creature in after it “warmed up and [was] health checked.“Mintram told BBC that the snake appeared “lethargic” due to the cold but became more “active” after it warmed up. He added that the snake is “doing rather well” at the park.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.ARK Wildlife & Dinosaur Park shared on Facebook that it was still searching for the snake’s owners and would require proof of ownership before returning the snake.“We’re keen to see if we can find an owner who might have lost him. Snakes are very good escape artists,” Mintram told BBC.According to theFlorida Museum of Natural History, the Florida Kingsnake is indigenous to the Florida peninsula and can grow to be about 36 to 48 inches long. The snakes are “non-venomous” and “are not dangerous to people or pets,” though they can bite if they feel threatened.

Don’t worry about monsters under the bed. What aboutsnakes under the sofa?

On Monday, Oct. 7, the ARK Wildlife & Dinosaur Park in Lincolnshire, England, revealed onFacebookthat it received a call from a “distraught lady” to remove a reptile that had found its way under her family’s couch.

“I didn’t know what it was,” the woman’s husband, Harry Pantziz, toldBBCafter noting that his wife was the first to spot a snake’s head peeking from under the couple’s couch.

“My wife called someone. We were watching from the window. It was a little scary,” he recalled of waiting outside for an expert to handle the scaly intruder.

When someone from the park went to investigate, they found the whole family standing “outside their house” and the snake — described as a “Florida kingsnake” that was a meter (3 ft.) long —  under the sofa as described, according to ARK Wildlife & Dinosaur Park.

“If you aren’t used to snakes, having one turn up in your house in the middle of the night is probably going to freak you out,” Jamie Mintram with ARK Wildlife & Dinosaur Park told BBC, adding that the family was “not very happy about his [the snake’s] presence.”

A spokesperson for the park told the outlet that the snake “probably entered the home looking for warmth” since the creature “wouldn’t have survived for long outside” due to the cool temperature, which was between50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheitthat day.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The wildlife park and animal sanctuary shared a photo of the snake with brown and yellow scales peeking its head out from under the gray sofa. A second snap shows someone with the wildlife crew holding the small snake in their hand with a tool on the couch behind it.

A Florida Kingsnake found under a couch in England.Ark Wildlife & Dinosaur Park/ Facebook

The park noted that the “poor little snake” — which they nicknamed “Mickey,” per BBC — was “definitely not a Lincolnshire native” and “was very cold” after being removed from under the couch. ARK took the creature in after it “warmed up and [was] health checked.”

Mintram told BBC that the snake appeared “lethargic” due to the cold but became more “active” after it warmed up. He added that the snake is “doing rather well” at the park.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

ARK Wildlife & Dinosaur Park shared on Facebook that it was still searching for the snake’s owners and would require proof of ownership before returning the snake.

“We’re keen to see if we can find an owner who might have lost him. Snakes are very good escape artists,” Mintram told BBC.

According to theFlorida Museum of Natural History, the Florida Kingsnake is indigenous to the Florida peninsula and can grow to be about 36 to 48 inches long. The snakes are “non-venomous” and “are not dangerous to people or pets,” though they can bite if they feel threatened.

source: people.com