Man sells car after unsuccessful search for snake in vehicle

LAST RESORT: The Taipei resident had planned to have the aging car taken apart and examined, but then decided to sell it to ensure his family’s safety

By Chien Hui-ju / Staff reporter





A man from Taipei sold his car following a family trip to Yilan County over the weekend after he spotted a snake in the vehicle, but was unable to find it.

The man, surnamed Chen (陳), said he decided to sell the car out of concern for the safety of his wife and daughter.

According to Chen, on Saturday he parked the car near Jhong Shan Elementary School after taking his family to a park in Luodong Township (羅東) featuring decorations based on illustrator Jimmy Liao’s (幾米) artwork.

As the family was preparing to get back in the car and return to Taipei, Chen said he saw a black “snake tail” sticking out of the glove compartment after his wife retrieved some tissue paper, adding that, out of concern that he might scare his wife and daughter, Chen pretended not to have seen the snake, allowing it to escape into the recesses of the vehicle.

He then sought help at a nearby fire department, where a team of firefighters sprayed the vehicle with chemicals, took apart the dashboard and glove compartment and searched the engine compartment. After nearly two hours of searching, the reptile was nowhere to be found.

Still concerned about the snake, Chen said he then drove to an auto repair shop and asked a mechanic to take his car to a service center to be properly dismantled and examined. Chen then changed his mind and decided to avoid the hassle, asking the shop to sell his car instead.

Chen said that he bought the second-hand car nine years ago and does not expect to receive much for it, but nothing matters more to him than the safety of his family.