Wild jungle snakes ‘on the loose around UK’ say experts after double sightings

An 8ft boa constrictor found abandoned outside a Wiltshire wildlife rescue centre is one of several snakes spotted on the loose in the UK this week.

Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital’s care supervisor Marilyn Korkis said the wriggly reptile was as thick as a human thigh, adding “It took two people to lift it.”

The snake had been left outside the centre in Newton Tony, near Salisbury, in a plastic container with a note reading “Warning, live snake”.

Opening the box was an alarming experience for Marilyn, who said: “I had the shock of my life, you don’t expect that sort of thing.

“To get something that big is a bit out of the ordinary. Part of it was not knowing what sort of snake it was and what it was capable of. Give me a badger any day over a snake.”

Shocking stuff: coming face-to-face with a boa constrictor would be an alarming experience for most of us (Pixabay/sipa)

This red tailed boa constrictor isn’t the first wriggly reptile to make an appearance at the hospital - they’ve had a few corn snakes through the gates - but it’s certainly the biggest.

The five stone snake is doing well in its new abode, and staff are hoping to re-home it in the near future.

This is one of many recent tales of snakes popping up where they’re least expected.

A Worcestershire couple had the ride of their lives yesterday when, after picking up their new car in Sheffield, they found their was a corn snake on board.

On Saturday, a woman was bitten by a snake in Worcester on her way home from Aldi.

Also this week, shocked soldiers in Farnborough, Hants, stumbled upon a 6ft anaconda.

Marilyn urged disenfranchised snake-owners not to abandon their unwanted pets, saying: “If you can’t cope, get help – there are people out there.”

A snake is for life, not just for Christmas - so think twice before buying that boa constrictor.

Image: Pixabay/webherper