'Slippery customer': police snare carpet python in London park

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/11/police-carpet-python-london-park-wandsworth

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Police have captured a “feisty” 1.5-metre snake that was on the loose in south London. Officers were called to a park in Wandsworth where the carpet python was found slithering along the edge of a fence.

In a series of tweets, Supt Steve Wallace of the Metropolitan police revealed how a team of three officers snared the “slippery customer” – thought to have been an escaped or dumped exotic pet – using a ballistic bag.

He also shared a picture of PC Faye Castleman posing alongside the black and gold patterned python, which had its head raised. Wallace tweeted on Tuesday: “Slippery customer! Pc Castleman attended King George’s Park yesterday – reports of large snake on the loose.

“Sgt Wainwright attended with a ballistic bag and handed it Pc Terry who captured the animal – safely delivered to Putney Animal Hospital.”

1/2 Slippery customer! PC Castleman attended King Georges Park yesterday - reports of large snake on the loose...... pic.twitter.com/eAj3bDtuyF

The incident at King George’s Park on Monday night came a day after two abandoned royal pythons were discovered in a playing field in Edwin Road, Twickenham.

The pair were collected by an RSPCA specialist after police officers captured them. All three were taken to Putney animal hospital and are now being cared for at South Essex wildlife hospital where they are in moderately good health, an RSPCA spokeswoman said.

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Carpet pythons, which are not venomous, are native to Australia and New Guinea and kill their prey through constriction. The RSPCA said the snake captured on Monday is proving “feisty” and a “challenge to handle”.

Royal pythons – also not venomous – are native to Africa and are popular pets because of their docile nature.

An RSPCA spokeswoman said: “Carpet pythons are not venomous, but can grow quite large – up to six feet long – so it could have become unmanageable for the owner.”

She added: “It is still unclear whether these two cases are connected. We see a rise in abandoned or escaped reptiles during the summer months, so it could be that these snakes were seen because they were active, due to the warm weather this weekend. These snakes are not native to the UK so are likely to have been exotic pets. It is not known for sure whether they escaped, or were dumped.”