By Adam Dutton via SWNS
A family was stunned after finding a 3-foot-long snake hiding under their sofa while they watched TV.
Harry Pantziz and his wife and kids were relaxing at their home in Boston, Lincs., when they spotted the serpent’s head pop out from under the settee.
They frantically called for help and animal experts from Ark Wildlife & Dinosaur Park raced to the scene on Sunday (Oct. 6) morning.
The animal was confirmed as a harmless Florida Kingsnake and was captured and taken to the zoo.
Experts believe the snake may have been a pet that escaped from a nearby house and slithered into the family home to keep warm.
Harry said: “I didn’t know what it was. We all ran into the garden.
“My wife called someone. We were watching from the window. It was a little scary.”
Jamie Mintram, from Ark Wildlife & Dinosaur Park, said: “We got a phone call from a rather distraught lady who said that she saw a snake’s head poking out from underneath her sofa.
“First we thought it might be something like a native grass snake looking for somewhere to hibernate, but I was sent over to investigate.
“As soon as I saw this little guy’s head poking out from underneath the sofa, I realized he certainly wasn’t a native species.
“This is a Florida Kingsnake. As the name suggests, they are natively found in Florida and this little guy wouldn’t have survived for very long as the climate there is much warmer.
“These snakes are bred for the pet trade here in the UK and he’s obviously an escapee. Someone’s pet who’s managed to escape.
“Snakes are incredibly good at escape, being escape artists. We picked him up, got him warmed up and he seems healthy.
“We’ve temporarily called him Micky after one of Florida’s most famous residents until we can track down his owners and find him a home which hopefully we may have done already.”
The wildlife park has now launched an appeal to reunite Micky with his owner.
