One high school football player for Maumelle, Arkansas, don get shock wey im no expect during practice on Thursday. Na snake — and na venomous one at that — don hide inside im helmet. The player wear the helmet with the snake dey inside for at least one hour, according to animal services.
The Maumelle High School student-athlete first feel something odd when im put the helmet but im continue practice. E no stop. Later, e feel the thing unusual enough make im carry am go coach for check. Na then dem see snake head dey peek through the padding for the helmet. Dem call animal services.
At first, coaches and players think na copperhead — one of the common venomous snakes for America. But animal services come find out say na 2-foot cottonmouth, wey dem also call water moccasin, wey don nestle behind padding of the helmet. Chris Davis, wey be director of Maumelle Animal Services, talk say cottonmouth na semiaquatic snake wey dey common for Arkansas. E also say e never remove snake from football helmet before. “I don remove snake from car vent, engine, purses, backpacks. But from helmet? Never,” Davis talk.
Because the snake don waka enter between the padding, officers no fit pull am comot with the tools wey dem get for site. Dem carry the helmet go shelter and flood am with water to force the snake comot. Once e come out, dem notice say the snake dey fat. Davis say the snake wey be “early adulthood” likely just chop something one or two days before. E say the snake probably dey find dark place to digest food, and e see the helmet dey ground. “One of the officers noticed that it, due to it being big and fat, may have recently ate a couple of days before. It probably was trying to find a dark spot to digest the food, and when it was coming across, it saw a helmet lying on the ground,” Davis explain.
The player no bite and e no wound. Even with the scare, e no comot for field. After dem handle the matter, e just ask for another helmet and return to practice. Davis say cottonmouths no dey aggressive unless dem threat. But e advise pipo to dey careful around dark and sheltered places where snake fit hide, and make dem inspect equipment before use. “The cottonmouth, in my opinion, is probably the second most venomous snake here in Arkansas. I would say the rattlesnake is probably the number one,” Davis talk.
