20-foot python found on top of dumpster in downtown Los Angeles

Downtown Los Angeles residents found a 20-foot python slithering around one of the dumpsters in their apartment complex this week. 

The residents called snake wrangler Joseph Hart after they were unable to reach animal control. 

"The snake was not really wanting to get off the dumpster," he said. "She was frightened, as you could imagine. There were a lot of people there. She's just been in this weird situation. She was really stressed out."

Hart, known as the "Reptile Hunter," said it was challenging to remove the snake from the dumpster due to the animal's sheer strength and weight. 

"I needed to move the dumpster and then get her off and put her on my body," Hart said. "That's just good old-fashioned animal wrangling is how I got her out of the dumpster."

Hart, who developed a passion for wildlife through the series "The Crocodile Hunter," taught the residents watching him about the python after wrangling the animal out of the dumpster. Hart said the snake had some health issues, particularly around its mouth, after not being properly cared for. 

On his website, Hart said his mission is to "promote wildlife conservation through animal rehabilitation and public education."