Snakes captured but one still out in wild - police

Four exotic snakes have been captured after they were abandoned in North Lincolnshire, Humberside Police said.

Officers said they believed the non-native snakes, found in the Twigmoor and Cleatham areas, were reticulated pythons, which are non-venomous.

Police said they thought that one snake may still be out in the wild and advised people not to try and catch it themselves, keep dogs on a lead and call them immediately if the see it.

The force said its rural task force was investigating offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

The reticulated python is the longest snake on earth. It is a non-venomous constrictor snake and in the wild they kill their prey by biting it and coiling around it.

The force said that the snakes come in many colours in the pet trade, but an 18ft snake found at Manton was a wild type. They said the other three were a mixture of two albinos and possibly a pied golden child morph.

The force said that these types of snakes would not attack people but would try to defend themselves if they felt threatened.

Officers also suspected that the snakes that were dumped were pets, which would make them less likely to bite.

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