Found by walker in Oxfordshire field... 8ft boa constrictor!
THEY are normally found lurking in the steamy rainforests of Central and South America.
But this boa constrictor was found a long way from home in a field in Oxfordshire – giving one man walking his dog quite a fright.
Measuring a terrifying 8ft 6in long and with a body almost as thick as a man’s thigh, the snake was seen sliding through the grass near a housing estate in Banbury.
The dog-walker called the RSPCA, who caught the female snake and are now looking after it. It remains a mystery how it got into the field.
Melanie Fisher, a deputy chief inspector for the animal charity, said: ‘It’s hard to know for sure how this snake came to be in the field but the caller definitely got a bit of a surprise.
‘It may have escaped from an enclosure or could have been abandoned. Sadly she’s not micro-chipped so we do not know where she has come from. She is still in our care and is now doing really well despite the cold weather.’
Miss Fisher said the RSPCA is seeing a growing number of exotic animals being dumped by owners who realise they are out of their depth after buying them as pets.
The charity, which currently has dozens of boa constrictors in its care, urged prospective buyers to do their research before getting one.