Snake perches on Ring doorbell, alerts Kansas City-area man it’s at home, video shows

A homeowner in the Kansas City area got quite a surprise when he was alerted by a Ring doorbell that someone — or something — was at the front door.

Kyle Crane thought perhaps a lizard crawled across the camera but discovered that wasn’t the case when he walked outside his Overland Park, Kansas, home Monday night, video shows.

“So, not what I expected,” Crane says in the video.

A snake was perched on top of the doorbell, its body dangling over the edges and seemingly plastered against the home.

Crane says it appears to be a 4-foot rat snake. The species is widespread across the eastern half of Kansas, and it’s the most common type of snake found in suburban areas, according to Fort Hays State University.

“I don’t want to get too close and bug him,” Crane says. “I’m definitely going to relocate this guy probably to the creek just down the road.”

Crane used cooking tongs to grab the snake’s head and put it in a white trash bag. Then video shows him letting the snake go free and vanish into the night.

“It was exciting relocating it,” Crane told McClatchy News. “Some fear mixed with fascination. But I respect snakes and wanted to protect it so I had to relocate it.”

This story was originally published July 8, 2020 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Snake perches on Ring doorbell, alerts Kansas City-area man it’s at home, video shows."