Aug. 28 (UPI) -- A Chicago couple said they were trapped inside their home for hours when a 4-foot snake showed up on their doorstep.
Kelly Bryant said she was shocked and terrified Thursday morning when the ball python showed up at the front door of her home in the Woodlawn neighborhood.
"Like even standing here right now, I'm still kind of on edge," Bryant told CBS Chicago. "Anything wiggly, squirmy worms, snakes; terrified."
Bryant's wife called 311 for help and a contractor working on their home placed a bucket over the snake before a Chicago Animal Care and Control officer arrived two hours later.
Bryant said a neighbor helped the animal control officer contain the python.
"She actually held open the pillowcase to shove the big -- I guess it's a python, into the pillow case," Bryant said.
Allison Babbitt, owner of Chicago pet store Curious Creatures, said ball pythons are popular pets and are usually very docile.
"They are the sweetest, kindest snakes out there. There is no threat of them getting loose and breeding like they do in Florida," Babbitt said. "They will not be able to survive the winter here."
The snakes are not native to Chicago, but animal control officers have captured them in the city in the past. In 2016, officers responded to Latoria Poe's second-floor apartment in the Englewood neighborhood to capture a ball python she found in her shower.
