Python Hides in SUV Console, Rescuers Dismantle Dashboard
A python hiding in an SUV's front console forced rescuers in Chainat province to dismantle the dashboard to extract the 18-inch snake, which took nearly an hour to remove and another 90 minutes to reassemble.
On July 30, rescue volunteers from the Chainat province Gratitude Foundation and local disaster prevention officials responded to a snake-in-vehicle incident at a shopping mall parking lot in Ban Glua subdistrict, Mueang Chainat. The vehicle owner, a 40-year-old woman, had abandoned her SUV in panic after discovering the snake coiled near her feet as she returned from shopping. The python jumped into the front console as she fled.
Rescuers initially attempted to locate the snake but struggled to reach it with their hands. They made the difficult decision to dismantle sections of the front console. When they opened the first section, they found a python about the size of a thumb, roughly 18 inches long. However, as they widened the opening, the snake repeatedly tried to escape deeper into the dashboard, forcing them to dismantle additional sections. What took just one minute to capture required nearly an hour of dismantling work before they could finally remove and release the python back into nature.
Even after the snake was secured, the rescue volunteers' work wasn't finished—they had to reassemble numerous car parts they had removed, a task that took approximately an hour and a half to restore the vehicle to its original condition. Despite the effort, they completed the repairs so the owner could drive away without worry. Meanwhile, lottery enthusiasts wasted no time photographing the license plate number 4221 to buy government lottery tickets, hoping for luck.