Appeal after four pythons found dead in Denbigh stream

RSPCA Cymru is appealing for information after four royal pythons were found dead in a stream in Denbigh.

The snakes were discovered by a dog walker on Tuesday 5 January. They were found partly submerged in a stream below a footbridge on a public footpath.

It is thought they were probably kept as pets and then abandoned.

Staff at Denbigh Police Station were alerted by a member of public who discovered four snakes in a nearby stream.

This is the second incident involving dumped royal pythons in a week.

Last week, the RSPCA were picked up 12 royal pythons from outside a veterinary surgery in Plymouth but only one survived.

The animal charity says it is experiencing widespread neglect and abandonment of exotic animals across England and Wales.

Releasing an exotic reptile into the wild in the UK is also illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The RSPCA says it will also cause them to suffer as they cannot produce their own body heat.