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Woman discovers boa constrictor abandoned in garden

Sam Atherton Ben Giles standing in a garden wearing blue jeans, hiking boots, a long sleeved navy top and sunglasses on his head. He is holding the snake in one hand and bending down to put it in a clear plastic tub which is laying on the grass. Sam Atherton
The snake is currently in the care of a local snake expert, after he came to rescue it from the garden

A woman was left "in complete shock" after discovering a 5.5ft (1.6m) boa constrictor coiled up in her garden.

Sam Atherton, 58, from Wincanton in Somerset, was enjoying a cup of coffee in her garden on Saturday when she spotted the pale reptile.

The snake was lethargic, cold and severely dehydrated, with several scratches on it.

Christened "Lucky" by locals, it is currently being cared for by local expert Ben Giles, who came to the rescue after Ms Atherton posted an appeal on Facebook looking for the owner.

Sam Atherton The snake curled up and lying amongst overgrown grass and weeds. Sam Atherton
Ms Atherton says she now has plans to mow her lawn to prevent any more "uninvited guests"

Ms Atherton had been letting her garden grow naturally to attract wildlife, but says she "didn't expect that sort of wildlife" to show up.

“The mystery is how it got there and how long it had been there," she said.

"It was quite dehydrated but seemed like it was well looked-after. I think somebody has just come to a remote place and let it go, and it’s somehow found its way into my garden.

"God knows what damage it could have done, or what damage could have been done to him either."

Sam Atherton The large snake curled up in a clear plastic tub. It is a pale cream colour with speckled orange scales.Sam Atherton
The boa constrictor was lethargic and pale in colour due to dehydration, cold, and exhaustion

Ms Atherton said she was "in shock for days" after, and scared to venture into the garden.

“I couldn’t sleep because I thought ‘oh my god, what if it’s laid eggs?’ You just think the worst," she said.

"Now I’m having a daily peek over to check if there’s anything else out there."

Sam Atherton Ben Giles holding the snake in one hand and handling it with a metal pole in the other. He is wearing blue jeans and standing in the overgrown garden.Sam Atherton
Mr Giles responded to Ms Atherton's plea online for someone to remove the snake

Mr Giles, 42, was called upon by the community through social media after Ms Atherton's appeal, because of his passion for snakes.

He has looked after the creatures for 30 years, and said the snake is "not a classic wild type", and is albino.

"The particular kind of snake is so unusual and rare, and no one's come forward," he said.

Mr Giles is currently looking after Lucky while he tracks down the owner.

If he is unsuccessful, he will look to rehome the reptile.

Mr Giles said: "It's a bit unfortunate. Someone's either made the mishap which none of us want to make, which involves the best escapologists in pet history.

"You've got to make sure your enclosures are secure.

"But at the same time, I think it could be a really valuable pet to somebody and they'd be really missing it."

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