Latest news with #reticulatedpython
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.
BBC News
17-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Stickney wildlife park calls for legislation on snake sales
The owner of a wildlife rescue centre is calling for exotic pet ownership rules to be tightened after a number of large snakes were reticulated pythons, which are non-venomous and can grow up to 18ft-long, were captured in the Twigmoor and Cleatham areas of North Lincolnshire at the Mintram, owner of the Ark Wildlife Park, near Boston, said there were "far too many examples" of this is calling for large-breed snakes to be covered by the same type of licensing rules as animals such as wild cats, primates and crocodilians. Mr Mintram said despite many pet shops limiting the sale of large non-venomous snakes to experienced people, it was easy for someone with little or no knowledge to legally purchase them a similar scheme to animals covered under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act would help to limit this, he well as legislation, Mr Mintram said potential owners needed to carry out their own research to educate themselves."What happens quite often is people buy them when they are only tiny - the length of a school ruler - and within a few years they can get incredibly large and outgrow their homes," he said."People don't realise quite how big these snakes can get."It's not the snake's fault - they are just doing what nature made them to do," he added." Mr Mintram told BBC Radio Lincolnshire it was also "irresponsible and cruel" to abandon any reptile, adding: "Something like a reticulated python is not going to survive the typical UK weather."He said it was sometimes the case that people were too embarrassed to seek professional help - but said this was the right thing to Police is investigating the incident in North Lincolnshire and the snakes are currently being cared for by RSG Reptiles, based near Alford. 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.
BBC News
15-06-2025
- BBC News
Four python snakes captured in North Lincolnshire
Four exotic snakes have been captured after they were abandoned in North Lincolnshire, Humberside Police said they believed the non-native snakes, found in the Twigmoor and Cleatham areas, were reticulated pythons, which are non-venomous. Police said they thought that one snake may still be out in the wild and advised people not to try and catch it themselves, keep dogs on a lead and call them immediately if the see force said its rural task force was investigating offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The reticulated python is the longest snake on earth. It is a non-venomous constrictor snake and in the wild they kill their prey by biting it and coiling around force said that the snakes come in many colours in the pet trade, but an 18ft snake found at Manton was a wild type. They said the other three were a mixture of two albinos and possibly a pied golden child force said that these types of snakes would not attack people but would try to defend themselves if they felt also suspected that the snakes that were dumped were pets, which would make them less likely to to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
CBS News
10-06-2025
- CBS News
Garland Animal Control captures 15-foot python threatening neighborhood
Garland Animal Control officers responded to a wild call involving a massive 15-foot reticulated python threatening a neighborhood on Friday. A resident found the python near the intersection of Apache Drive and Broadway Boulevard around 11 p.m. Garland Animal Shelter and Adoption Center By the time officers arrived, the python had circled a yard and even trapped a man on top of his truck, according to the Garland Animal Shelter and Adoption Center. The python tried to strike several times and a tense crowd gathered to watch; however, the Center said that the officer remained calm and focused. Eventually, the officer's patience and careful work paid off, and the python was safely captured. "Bravery, compassion, and public safety-that's what our Animal Control Officers bring every day," the Garland Animal Shelter and Adoption Center said on social media. "No matter the call, we show up. Because our duty never ends." The Center said the python's escape was accidental and "caused no harm or incidents." Garland Animal Services officers have identified its owner, and the python is scheduled to be picked up on Wednesday and relocated outside Garland city limits, as the city prohibits the ownership of exotic animals.
