Dorset man captures missing 6ft python spotted in Hampshire

A man claims he has captured a missing 6ft (1.82m) python that was on the loose in the countryside.

Snake enthusiast Zoltan Pohner, from Bournemouth, said he spent three days in the Blackwater area of north Hampshire trying to find it after seeing a BBC report about the missing reptile.

Police responded to sightings of the snake but were unable to locate it.

Mr Pohner said he thought it may have been deliberately abandoned.

Realising it was on the loose in a busy dog-walking area, he said he felt compelled to track it down.

"The snake is huge. It could kill a dog or even a child," he explained.

"But the most important thing for me was to save the life of the snake because I knew that in those kind of conditions - it was 6C (43F), heavy rain and wind - I knew that it was going to die in days."

Hart Rural Police previously said the snake, thought to be a non-venomous rock or carpet python, was first spotted near a footpath in Oakfield Road, Blackwater, on 7 April.

A Hampshire Constabulary officer responded to the call but could not locate it.

A further sighting was reported by a Facebook user two days later in the Hawley Meadows area.

Since capturing the python, Mr Pohner has been keeping the reptile rested and warm in his Dorset home.

He said he was "absolutely 100% certain" the snake had been handled by people.

"If the owner shows up, I'm happy to give it back," he said, adding: "But how you can lose a two-metre long snake. You have to be careful.

"I think someone dumped it and hoped it would die in the cold.

"I can't tell you how happy I am, because I saved her life and now people can walk there without fear."

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].