A Tennessee couple with a young child received quite the shock last month when they discovered a venomous snake in their baby’s stroller.
The snake, which was identified as a copperhead, tried and failed to strike at the couple, who told WZTV in Nashville that they feel lucky they noticed the serpent before it could harm their infant.
Autumn and Tyler Maidlow of the city of Greenbrier spoke to the Fox affiliate about the situation, which proved deadly for the snake.
All three members of the young family were unharmed.
“My husband went for a walk with our baby in the wagon and left the garage open,” Autumn Maidlow said.
She added, “I got home with groceries, and he put the wagon in the garage, and we took our baby out. We brought in our groceries and ate dinner, which took about 30 minutes.”
From the time it took the family to eat dinner until the time Tyler Maidlow went to the couple’s garage to retrieve something from their car, the snake had slithered into their garage and made itself at home in the stroller.
Autumn Maidlow filmed the snake, which was coiled up in the stroller.
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“[Tyler] walked past the wagon and when he walked back in, he noticed the snake on the ledge of the wagon and right when he looked at it, it struck at him and he jumped back and hit my car,” she recalled.
The New York Post obtained the clip and shared it online:
Tyler Maidlow was able to safely remove the snake from the stroller.
According to WZTV, he killed it outside with a shovel.
His wife shared a warning for others after the encounter with the snake.
“Keep your garage door closed, don’t keep blankets, toys or anything that would obstruct your view in anything your child goes in, keep garage clear and clean, and pay attention to your surroundings!” she told the outlet.
According to Live Science, copperheads are common throughout most of North America. Luckily, their venom is mild in comparison to other snakes that live in this part of the world.
But the outlet noted that they are particularly aggressive and are responsible for most snake bites in the country.
“Unlike most venomous snakes, copperheads give no warning signs and strike almost immediately if they feel threatened,” Live Science reported.
The snakes average around three feet in length and are notorious for blending in with their surroundings.
Still, the snakes do serve a purpose and help keep rodent populations under control.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
