Boa constrictor found in London park

A five-foot long boa constrictor has been found slithering through a park in south-west London.

The snake, native to South America, was spotted in Surbiton by a member of the public before being rescued by an animal welfare charity.

The RSPCA said it believed the snake, which it named Lulu, was dumped there.

The charity added that it had been seeing "widespread neglect of exotic animals across the country" that had previously been kept as pets.

The member of the public who found Lulu took her home and she was later picked up by an inspector.

Lulu was in poor health, and the RSPCA believes she would have died if she had not been rescued.

Lulu was given urgent treatment by vets for respiratory issues and ulcers in her mouth, the RSPCA said.

Inspector Dale Grant, who rescued Lulu, said he hoped to transfer her to a reptile unit at Brighton Animal Centre.

The RSPCA said the practice of keeping an exotic animal as a pet had been increasing in popularity, with many ultimately being abandoned and ending up in shelters.

"The needs of exotics can be challenging to meet because they are fundamentally linked to certain behaviours, diets or environmental conditions in the animal's natural environment that can be difficult to replicate in a home, Mr Grant said.

"Unlike cats or dogs these animals have not undergone years of domestication, therefore they are wild animals kept in captivity and their needs are the same as in the wild."

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