RSPCA investigating after 6ft-long boa constrictor dumped on driveway near Saffon Walden

The RSPCA has launched an investigation after a large boa constrictor was left blocking a driveway.

The six-foot snake was inside a large tank which was dumped on the drive at Widdington near Saffron Walden.

It was seen being left outside the house in Hamel Way on 20 August by a neighbour who has handed the animal charity CCTV showing a man leaving it on the side of the road.

The footage showed a man getting out of a blue/black car and taking the tank - known as a vivarium - from the back of the vehicle before dumping it.

The RSPCA said there was no heating in the vivarium and the water bowl was empty, but despite being abandoned, the reptile was in good health when she was found at around 6.30pm.

RSPCA animal rescue officer Enola Evans rescued the snake and took her to an aquatics and reptile centre in Norfolk.

She said: “The boa had been left for a few hours in the cold as there was no heating or lighting in the vivarium.

"Despite that she was in a good condition and she is a really beautiful snake with a vivid coloured skin."

The RSPCA is urging people who are struggling to look after their animals in the cost of living crisis to ask for help rather than abandoning them.

It said snakes may look resilient and tough on the outside but they were actually completely reliant on their owners to provide the correct environment for them, including heating and lighting and an appropriate diet.

The latest figures show that 2,047 cases of abandonment were reported to the RSPCA in June - the most of any month of the year so far. This compares to 1,527 in June last year - a rise of 34%. 

The charity said it was continuing its inquiries and hoped to find out more about who owned the snake.

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