A Cuban resident in Houston, Texas, identified as Evian García Morales, experienced a huge scare this week when he mistook a snake for a hose while performing a daily task at his home.
The moment was captured in a video where Garcia Morales recounts with his unmistakable Cuban accent the moment of discovery: "look at this, I was right here trying to light that, I hadn't realized this, it looked like the hose, and look what this is."
In the video, the snake is seen next to a water pipe, which explains the initial confusion.
Rather than losing his sense of humor, the protagonist approaches the reptile and states that it was "stressed."
What may be a relatively common situation for many residents of Houston is often quite a novelty for Cubans to encounter a snake.
In Cuba, there are no snakes, and as a result, there is no culture of cohabitation with these reptiles in domestic environments, so encountering one in yards and gardens always causes surprise, if not a considerable fright.
Houston is currently experiencing its most active snake season, which runs from late February to June, with a peak of activity in March and April.
During these months, reptiles venture out in search of food, mates, and nesting areas, and it is not unusual for them to appear in yards, garages, and residential gardens.
Among the most dangerous species in the area are the coral snake and the rattlesnake known as western diamondback rattlesnake.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department advises residents to eliminate potential shelters in their yards, such as rocks, piled branches, or tall grass, monitor the presence of rodents, and seal entry points to reduce the risk of these encounters.
Houston is home to an estimated 100,000 residents of the Cuban community, primarily concentrated in the neighborhoods of Gulfton and Spring Branch.
Videos of Cubans in exile reacting humorously to unexpected animal situations have become a recurring and popular genre on social media, such as when a cockatoo attacked the Cuban influencer Preña Palma, and Garcia Morales' video has all the ingredients to join that list.
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