A ball python escaped from its terrarium in the Main-Kinzig area. Now there’s a new lead – and a lot of heart palpitations for a local resident.
Snake skin found in a garden in Brachtal.
Image © private
Police arrived at the scene in the Main-Kinzig area with a large piece of snake skin. A Brachtal resident found the skin on a pile of firewood on her property on Tuesday, the police department in southeastern Hesse said.
Police investigations suggest it may have been the skinning of a snake that went missing in the neighbourhood.
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02:20 Min.|07/22/26, 18:00|main tower
Snake skin in the garden scares Brachtalerin
Snake skin found in a garden in Brachtal.
Image © private
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A native species of snake is likely out of the question due to their size and striking skin patterns, police said.
In addition, as part of the investigation, a neighbor reported to emergency services that his ball python escaped from its terrarium a month ago and climbed out through an open bathroom window. According to police, the animal has not yet been found.
Property owner: “I had heart palpitations”
The snake apparently found refuge under a pile of firewood in Jessica Riemenschneider’s garden. “I already had heart palpitations,” she tells Hessenschau. “It’s also strange to stand here now, you don’t know where the snake is. And we have chickens, rabbits and children, our neighbors have dogs and cats.”
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00:39 Min.|Marcel Ronge
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The snake is not poisonous, but its bite can be quite painful. She usually doesn’t bite. However, in an unfamiliar situation, she might have behaved differently, says snake expert Dennis Jenschke of Frankfurt Zoo. “Of course, other behavior is possible.”
Rats and mice as prey
The ball python usually strangles its prey. “They have great power,” says the expert. A rabbit or cat was unlikely to be part of the prey spectrum. “But anything involving rats or other rodents.”
People who spot the reptile should keep their distance and not try to catch the snake themselves. Instead, they should report it to the police immediately.