Five foot snake 'abandoned' at Northumberland beauty spot
The non-venomous corn snake was discovered in Druridge Bay Country Park
by Daniel Hall · ChronicleLiveA Northumberland vet has urged people not to abandon exotic pets after a five-foot snake was discovered at a local beauty spot.
A female corn snake was found near the pools in Druridge Bay Country Park on Monday, September 30. It was taken into Robson and Prescott Vets in Morpeth by the member of the public who discovered it.
The snake was not microchipped and there was nothing with it to identify its owner. Most commonly found in the southeastern United States, the non-venomous snake would have struggled to survive a Northumbrian winter, according to the veterinary practice's clinical director Sam Prescott.
Though the vet cannot say for certain that the snake was abandoned, it is the most likely reason it has ended up in the Northumbrian countryside. Sam said: "It's going to have travelled some distance undetected if it's an escapee.
"I'm not convinced that Druridge Bay at winter time is the first place it will be heading. It would have sought out somewhere warm instead."
The snake has now been rehomed after more than a week at the veterinary practice in Morpeth.
Sam told ChornicleLive: "We'd encourage people to look into charities before considering abandonment. It's illegal to release non-native animals into the wild.
"What's more concerning for us is the wellbeing side of it. That snake would have died if it hadn't been picked up by a well-meaning member of the public who brought it in."
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