A BOA constrictor was found dead in the Okement River in Okehampton this week. Police received a call on Monday morning to say a large snake had been spotted in the river. PC Andy Wiggins, who used a dog loop to retrieve the dead reptile, said: 'I certainly wouldn't have touched it if it had been alive — it was a good six feet long.' An Okehampton vet identified the snake as an adult Boa Constrictor, and checked it for an identity-chip but found none. He confirmed that the snake could not have survived for any amount of time in the wild, as Boa Constrictors need to be kept in a warm environment — they are native to Central and South America. As the snake was not showing signs of decomposition, it was concluded it had either escaped or, more likely, been abandoned on Saturday or Sunday. Because of the high river levels over the weekend, it is possible it could have been washed down to Okehampton from higher up on the moor. RSPCA spokesperson Jo Barr said Boa Constrictors are the second-most common snakes kept as pets in the UK, with more than 30 pet shops stocking them for general sale. She said: 'People think they're different and interesting, but they don't realise how big they can get. 'Then, when they run out of space they just dump them. Often, people kid themselves that they're setting their snake free or releasing it into the wild, but they're really just condemning it to death.' She said the six-foot snake found in the Okement was not fully grown: 'They can grow up to 13 feet long, so they're just not suitable as pets for most people. They're difficult to handle, and to keep a snake like that you need to have room for a six-foot heated vivarium.' Jo Barr said exotic pets were becoming increasingly popular: 'Between 1990 and 2003, the number of cases of abandoned or unwanted exotic pets that we dealt with increased by 161%. She stressed it is an offence to abandon any animal in a manner likely to cause its suffering or death — and that those found guilty of doing so can face up to six months imprisonment or a £5,000 fine. Anybody with any information about the abandoned or escaped snake found in Okehampton should contact the RSPCA on 08705 555999 or Okehampton police station on 01837 658400.
