Six-foot rat snake found inside unused AC unit

A six-foot rat snake that had been hiding inside an air conditioning (AC) unit was captured and released into a forest area, here on Saturday (July 19, 2025).

An unusual noise had been coming from the unused AC at the home of Kamaraj, in the city, for the past 10 days. Initially he ignored it. But the situation escalated when a dead rat fell out of the unit and a snake’s tail became visible. Shocked, Kamaraj immediately alerted snake catcher, Yuvaraj, who captured the rat snake and handed it over to the Forest Department. The snake was later released into a nearby forest.

Yuvaraj explained that during the monsoon season, when AC units are often left unused, snakes tend to follow rats entering through the external drain pipe and end up taking shelter inside the units.