Snakes alive! Terrified man finds 3ft reptile hiding in cupboard
A RESIDENT was given the shock of his life as he checked the balance on his electricity meter – and found a three-foot SNAKE.
The North American rat snake is thought to have escaped from a nearby house in Weaste, Salford.
The man, who asked not to be named, alerted police, who contacted National Centre For Reptile Welfare director Chris Newman. Chris said the reptile is ‘harmless’ and not venomous.
The animal is being looked after until its owner is found.
Chris’s centre is based in Kent, but offers rescue services for animals up and down the country. He said: “The resident was quite scared and you would expect that. Part of what we do is we try to get people to get over their fears. We gave them advice on what to do and what not to do and we sorted it out from there. It was a corn snake and was totally harmless, but they didn’t feel comfortable touching the animal.
“So I told them to leave it be and send me pictures. I put it on my Facebook page - it took four minutes to get a response.
“It’s remarkable how the community works.”
Kate Lui, from Prestwich, saw Chris’s post and volunteered to collect the snake. She has a collection of reptiles and exotic animals.
Kate said: “Chris told me the man was petrified of the snake, it must have given him quite a fright. When I turned up, he was calm and we made sure to social distance. I reassured him and I explained to him it was completely harmless, non-venomous and it was probably an escaped pet.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the National Centre for Reptile Welfare – or call 07897 692060.