I was walking down a busy city street the other day, scrolling through my phone, half-aware of the world around me until something odd caught my eye. In the middle of the concrete path lay a small, crushed grass snake. It was lifeless, half-flattened, its greenish body twisted in a way that made my stomach turn. People walked past it without so much as a glance. Cars sped by, unaware of what had just been run over.

And yet, I couldn’t look away. The image stayed with me long after I walked on. It wasn’t just the snake it was what it represented. This wasn’t an isolated event. Over the past few weeks, local residents have been sharing photos and stories online of unexpected snake encounters in backyards, slithering across patios, near apartment doorways, even inside homes through balcony gaps and vents.