A sleepy English village has been shaken by the discovery of two huge snakes on the loose in one week - and now officers think there may be a third.
A four-foot long python was found in West Ashling in West Sussex on Sunday. An eagle-eyed horse rider spotted the reptile curled under a bush in a layby. The python was brought to a nearby vets by RSPCA animal rescue officer Claire Thomas for check-up after the bizarre discovery. It comes just days after another large snake was rescued by the charity in the same village.
Officers were called out to a field on September 18 where they collected the creature. Now the charity believes there may be a third out there, after one person called in to report a three-and-a-half foot python slithering about the village on Thursday.
An RSCPA member holding the second python to be discovered in just a week (RSPCA / SWNS)
Two have been found in the village within a few days of one another (RSPCA / SWNS)When an officer arrived to collect the reptile - it could not longer be found, and now the charity is appealing to anyone else who may know of its whereabouts. It's currently unknown whether the snake incidents are connected - but RSPCA officials say it's concerning that so many have been found or spotted in such a short space of time.
Ms Thomas said: "It's not very often that we get called out to incidents involving large stray snakes so it may be that these incidents are related, though we cannot be sure at this stage. We don't want to cause panic to anyone as royal pythons are not venomous snakes.
"It concerns us that these snakes have been outdoors just as the weather is getting cooler, as snakes need to be kept warm." Pet snakes are dependent on their owners for the correct accommodation, heating, lighting and feed - all of which must replicate their wild habitat to keep them healthy and allow them to express their normal behaviour.
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The second snake was spotted curled beneath a bush by a horse rider in the village (RSPCA / SWNS)Without proper care they can suffer from serious diseases, dehydration, injuries, parasites, and - in severe cases or if left untreated - eventually die. The RSPCA is urging anyone in the area who finds a snake they believe is non-native to keep a safe distance, monitor the animal, and visit their website for advice.
Evie Button, the charity's senior scientific advisor, said: "Snakes are excellent escape artists and will take the opportunity of a gap in an enclosure door, or a loose-fitting lid to make a break for it. Last year, we took more than one thousand reports about snakes, with the highest number of calls coming in during the summer months.
"This is not surprising, as snakes become more active during hot weather. The RSPCA urges all pet snake owners to be extra vigilant, invest in an enclosure suitable for the particular species and make sure that enclosure is kept secure - and locked if necessary - when unattended."
Many of the snakes RSPCA officers are called to collect are thought to be escaped pets, but the charity has also encountered a number of abandoned reptiles. Evie added: "Sadly, we also have to deal with a lot of abandoned snakes.
"We find that many people are unaware of how much of a commitment these animals are when they take them on, which we believe contributes to the hundreds of animals every year who have sadly been abandoned when their owners can no longer meet their needs."
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