Eight-and-a-half foot boa constrictor found in Somerset garden

A Wincanton woman got the shock of her life when she found a eight-and-a-half foot boa constrictor in her garden last weekend. Sam, who was returning from lunch when she found the reptile on Saturday, September 21, said: "I'm 58 and I almost had a heart attack."

The snake, who has since been christened 'Lucky', was collected by a snake expert who confirmed it was a pet, had a few battle scars, and was probably quite frightened himself. Sam said: "'Ben [the snake expert] said the snake was a little bit scared and cold, as it wasn't moving as fast as it would usually.

"He said it was very well looked after but had a few scratches and that could have been from birds or cats."

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Sam has been appealing to find the snake's owner, but so far nobody has come forward. The snake - who is believed to have either escaped or been abandoned - is safely being looked after by Ben in the meantime, who is "quite taken" with his slithery new friend.

Sam, who works in a care home, fears that the snake may have been released into the wild deliberately: "I hate to think of it being dumped, but there doesn't seem to be any other explanation. It's not kind to it. It's selfish because it could harm children...I dread to think about what could have happened."

Boa constrictors are- perhaps thankfully - not a native species to the UK, and are naturally found in South America. Unlike adders, smooth snakes, and grass snakes, they're not well-suited to our environment, and Lucky seemed to be struggling in the cold British weather.

Not only was Lucky suffering, he posed such a potential threat to native wildlife that it is actually illegal to deliberately release him: this could carry a penalty of £5000 or up to six months in prison.

The RSPCA advises people who find non-native species of snake in the wild to keep their distance and report the incident to them. There are also local rescue centres such as the Wiltshire Reptile Rescue in Marlborough and the Cornpop Critter Rescue in Frome.