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Snake found at Detroit gas station leads to panicked call to police
A snake usually found in the wild, was discovered at a Detroit gas station.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A snake is not something they see every day at the Mobil Gas Station on Jefferson Avenue near Chene Street.
The snake slithering through the parking lot prompted a call to police. This led to a call to Lou's Pet Shop.
"They notified us about a snake that was on the loose and we told them to bring him up," said worker Josiah Englesias. "And we weren't sure if we could identify him or not, or if he was a previously domesticated snake or a pet."
But based on their experience at the Grosse Pointe Woods pet shop, this doesn't seem to be a pet.
"We believe it's a native species, and we already have plans with the DNR to get him re-homed and rehabilitated here," he said.
It is an unconfirmed Eastern Fox Snake.
"There are a lot of snakes in that area, and it's sometimes it's concerning, you know, driving down there. You see a lot of different animals," he said. "I feel like after Covid a lot more animals have been more lively with less things going on."
This one got a little too close for comfort - at least for the gas station workers at the Detroit Mobile.
Iglesias said there is no reason to fear this snake.
"What you see here is that he is decently relaxed and not trying to bite me or anything," he said. "He is definitely used to people to some extent."
And now he will be placed with the DNR and re-homed to a safer place than Jefferson Avenue.
As for what you should do if you come across a fox snake in the wild?
"Most of the time if you are in a forest or something, or not near a road, just leaving me be is the best thing to do," he said.
The Eastern Fox Snake constricts it's prey and is good for pest control.