Latest news with #RobStokes
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Snake's alive! Fifth monster python is caught in British countryside - as police warn locals to keep pets on a lead because 'small dogs would be a nice meal for them'
A fifth monster python has been found in the British countryside by terrified locals, prompting a chilling warning by police. Four of the snakes were found on June 13 and 14, and a fifth was spotted by a shocked motorist last Saturday in the Twigmoor and Cleatham areas of north Lincolnshire. One of the snakes, belonging the world's longest species of snake, was discovered by Rob Stokes, 45, who runs the reptile centre, The RSG Reptiles, and his son George, 15, in some bushes near his van after being called in by police to help search for them. This has sparked a warning from Humberside Police to dog walkers to keep their pets on leads. The exotic snakes, which can weigh up to 75kg and normally feast on monkeys, pigs, and deer in the wild, are believed to have been callously abandoned by a pet owner who no longer wanted them. Mr Stokes, who runs the business with wife Susan, 41, said: 'They're all reticulated pythons, the longest species of snake in the world, they're pretty impressive. 'The first one was 18ft and 50kg. They're clearly somebody's pet and unfortunately people struggle with money and they did the wrong thing and dumped them. 'They dumped them in two locations, three in one and two in another. They were basically left to fend for themselves in the woods. 'In terms of risk to the public, they were pretty low. If someone was poking it or interfering with it, there is a possibility of it turning around and biting. It would bite and let go. 'Snakes don't want to attack, the last thing they want to do is bite. The biggest risk is people's pets and wildlife. Small animals, small dogs would be a nice meal for them. 'I found one in the bushes myself, George and I went to have a look around the bushes and found one ourselves. It was in the bushes near our van. 'The first four weren't too bad, one lump we needed to check out, but they were mainly just dehydrated. 'They had mites which is not uncommon but we've had to treat them for that. We usually treat them with a flea treatment, which can be quite costly at £30ish a bottle. 'We did think we had got them all but felt there could be one more outstanding. When we got the call from the police for the fifth one, we were quite happy but horrified it was left out there. 'This fifth one has some respiratory issues and has maggots on it as well. It's very difficult for these animals to get rid of parasites if there's no water for it to swim in. 'We've had a warm couple of weeks here which would've helped but the night temperature drop off isn't good for them. 'Such a big snake needs a lot of antibiotics, we have to give it an antibiotic injection every three days. It's a long process and will take a month, maybe even longer.' The 45-year-old says they are now faced with a £15,000 bill to build suitably-sized cages for the huge beasts. He added: 'We've now got to build some massive enclosures for them. We're fundraising for them and the vet bills as it gets expensive when you add it all up. 'I think they're going to stay with us, they just need a forever home. 'We're reptile people so we're quite happy for them to stay with us. If we do re-home, they'll be going to a professional, not a hobby keeper. 'These animals are huge. An 18ft snake needs ideally an 18ft enclosure. The bigger ones get dumped first as they're the most expensive. 'They're really simple to look after, you spot clean it after they go to the loo. And then you clean it once a month. You probably spend £20. 'If you hit hard times, that becomes a big chunk. The cost of everything has gone up in the last few years, your life can change overnight. 'There's loads of us out there in the reptile community who can help out, dumping them in the bushes like that was unacceptable.' Humberside Police said its rural task force was investigating offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 A police spokesperson said: 'Inquiries are continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding the reports and identify those involved, and we would appeal to anyone who has information to contact us.' At the time the first four were discovered, the force said previously: 'They are believed to be Reticulated Pythons. 'The reticulated Python is the longest species on earth. It is a non-venomous constrictor snake. In the wild, they will kill their prey by biting it and then coiling around it to literally squeeze the life out of it. 'In the event that you find one in the wild in the UK, please call police immediately. Do not try to catch it yourself, keep an eye on it and give a What3Words location to the police so it can be assessed by an expert and collected appropriately. 'We would advise keeping dogs on a lead in the areas where these snakes were found. 'These Snakes will not attack you. They will only try to defend themselves if they feel threatened.'
BBC News
23-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Fifth large snake found in Lincolnshire woodland near Scunthorpe
A fifth snake has been found abandoned in North 16ft (5m) long reticulated python was discovered by a passing motorist on a road in Twigmoor Woods, near Scunthorpe, on Saturday discovery comes after Humberside Police said its rural task force was investigating offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 after four snakes had been found in the same area on June Harry Eynon, who was driving home when he spotted the snake and called police, said: "We were shocked to say the least, but also a little scared because it's not something you see every day in this country." The animal was recovered by RSG Reptiles and taken to their specialist reptile rescue centre near Alford, where the four other snakes are being looked Rob Stokes said the snake was underweight and was "quite poorly" with a respiratory infection that would require treatment by a vet."It's been out in the British weather for more than 10 days," he previous four pythons were discovered in the Twigmoor and Cleatham areas of North snakes are non-venomous and are native to South East Asia and can grow up to 18ft (5.5m) in Stokes said he thought all five had been "dumped by the same people"."Apart from being illegal, it's just cruel," he said."They're pets, so they are unlikely to attack people, although they could present a danger to wildlife."He appealed to anybody struggling to keep exotic animals to get in touch rather than abandoning them in the wild. The snake, named Dave by one of the people who found it, will live at the rescue centre with the other Reptiles has set up an online fundraising appeal to pay the costs of building enclosures for the snakes and vet said the fifth snake had been "taken away safely" and added that they had also received a report of another one found dead in the same a statement, police said: "Inquiries are continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding the reports and identify those involved, and we would appeal to anyone who has information to contact us."Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Metro
23-06-2025
- Metro
Fifth python discovered on road just one week after 'monster' 18ft snake found
A 16ft python has been found on a busy road close to where four others were discovered just a week earlier. The severely dehydrated and injured albino python was spotted on Kirton Road near Twigmoor Woods in Lincolnshire by members of the public on Saturday evening. Humberside Police arrived on the scene soon after and officers contacted RSG Reptiles in Alford. The rescue and animal encounter firm had already recovered one 18ft, 50kg 'monster' python at Twigmoor Woods and three others in the nearby village of Manton on June 13 and 14. The five snakes, all reticulated pythons over 11ft long, are currently in the care of RSG. After the first four were found, police said there were reports of a fifth snake on the loose and warned people to be vigilant and keep dogs on a lead. It's suspected all were abandoned by the same owner, who has not yet been identified. Officers from Humberside Police's Rural Task Force are investigating potential offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Rob Stokes, co-owner of RSG Reptiles, told Metro that when they arrived to collect the fifth python 'police were on the scene redirecting traffic and the snake had been kept underneath a pop up tent to keep it contained'. He said the female python was severely dehydrated and had an infected wound, so will need vet treatment. 'We've been treating her with baths, and cleaning the wound every day and the swelling has gone down, but a trip to the vets has been arranged for this evening,' he added. 'She's lucky she survived – especially considering she's been out in the elements for more than a week and ended up on a busy road.' One of the other snakes, also an albino, will likely need treatment as well he added, as it is covered in lumps. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'The rest of the snakes seem really well, however. They all have lovely personalities and are all very friendly,' he said. Rob said rescuing five snakes in little more than a week was 'very unusual, especially ones of this size' and urged any reptile owners struggling to care for their pets to reach out for help instead of abandoning the animals. 'The reptile community is so large there is always someone out there who would be able to remove these reptiles and look after them. There is no need to abandon them. 'There are many people to contact if you cannot look after your reptiles anymore – we can take them and so can NCRW, RSPCA or any exotic pet shop.' The reptiles will be treated as police evidence while an investigation is ongoing, Rob explained. Once there's a prosecution or no further action from police they will either be given new suitable homes or stay at RSG and potentially become part of the firm's animal encounter experiences. Rob said he wanted to thank members of the public for staying with the fifth python until they arrived. 'They, along with the police, stood there in the heat waiting for us, to make sure the snake was safe. It shows how wonderful the community is and we want to say a heartfelt thanks.' More Trending RSG Reptiles has set up a GoFundMe to help cover vet fees for the snakes. You can donate here. Reticulated pythons are the world's largest type of snake and native to South East Asia. They're non venomous but can squeeze the life out of their prey. However, RSG and the police said pythons – especially pets – will generally not attack humans unless they feel threatened. Metro has contacted Humberside Police for comment. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: MP admits getting staff member to put down his Labrador with a shotgun MORE: 'Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide': Trump's man in Florida reveals chilling plan for immigrants MORE: Inside New York's 'Pigeon Fest' where impersonators battle for title
Daily Mail
16-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Dog walkers warned after 18ft long python that can crush pets to death is on the loose
Dog walkers are being warned about an 18ft python on the loose that can crush pets to death. Four of the exotic non-native snakes have been captured in the Twigmoor and Cleatham areas in North Lincolnshire. The reticulated pythons - the world's longest snake - are thought to have been dumped in the woods by their owner. Cops at Humberside Police have issued a chilling warning to dog owners that the non-venomous snake 'kill their prey by biting it and then coiling around it to literally squeeze the life out of it'. They are also urging owners to keep pets on leads in the areas where the pythons were found. RSG Reptiles in Alford rescued the snakes with one being found in the village of Manton after a member of the public saw it outside a converted church, the Metro reported. Its owner, Rob Stokes, posted a video on the firm's YouTube channel in which he said he was 'angry' at the people who had ditched the snakes and said he would have taken them on 'no problem'. 'Apart from being a danger to people's pets and to other wildlife, this time of year they probably would survive - it's warm,' he said. 'But come the winter, not a chance.' Dog walkers are being warned about an 18ft python on the loose that can crush pets to death. Officers have captured four of the non-native snakes in the Twigmoor and Cleatham areas Two of the pythons were infested with parasite mites, which Mr Stokes said was like fleas to dogs. He said in his passionate 15-minute video: 'These two poor snakes have been basically thrown out the van into a field. For absolutely no reason.' Reticulated pythons Reticulated pythons are the longest snakes in the world. The huge creatures crush their prey, squeezing tighter around the neck as they exhale, leading to cardiac arrest or suffocation. Victims die within a couple of minutes but it could take an hour to be devoured. They eat small mammals and birds but can eat some prey as large as deer and pigs. They occasionally eat reptiles and on rare instances humans. Reticulated pythons that are 6-8 feet are referred to as 'super dwarfs' while those 10-12 feet are called 'dwarfs'. Reticulated pythons originate from South-East Asia. Mr Stokes told the Metro that for now they would have 'to treat them like evidence for the police, because the incident is being investigated'. 'So they'll stay with us until there's either a prosecution or no further action from the police,' he said. 'After that they'll either move to suitable homes or stay with us, and potentially become part of the animal encounters we do.' Humberside Police said its Rural Task Force were investigating the dumping of the pythons, an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, on June 11. A spokesman said: 'So far four snakes have been captured by colleagues who work with exotic animals. 'They are believed to be Reticulated Pythons. We suspect that 1 snake may currently still be out in the wild. 'The reticulated Python is the longest species on earth. It is a non venomous constrictor snake. In the wild, they will kill their prey by biting it and then coiling around it to literally squeeze the life out of it. 'In the pet trade, these come in many colours. An 18ft Snake found at Manton is a wild type, but the other three are a mixture of two Albinos and what we think is a Pied Golden Child Morph. 'In the event that you find one in the wild in the UK, please call police immediately. DO NOT try to catch it yourself, keep an eye on it and give a What3Words location to the police so it can be assessed by an expert and collected appropriately. 'We would advise keeping dogs on a lead in the areas where these snakes were found. 'These Snakes will not attack you. They will only try to defend themselves if they feel threated. We suspect that the snakes that have been dumped were pets and this will make them less likely to bite. 'PLEASE if you have a pet that you can no longer keep for whatever reason, please take it to an exotic animal shop or animal rescue. DO NOT release them into the wild. 'If you have any information on the release of these snakes please contact Humberside Police Rural Task Force RTF@ or call 101 quoting investigation reference 25000081788.' Twigmoor Woods is a 3.9km circular woodland trail near Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire. Cleatham is a small hamlet which includes Cleatham Hall, a historic country house set in its own grounds, near Manton, also outside Scunthorpe.
