BORN FREE REACTS TO DISCOVERY OF DEAD EXOTIC SNAKES

Born Free is appalled to learn that two large boa constrictor snakes were found dead in a field in Coventry earlier this week.
 
Dr Chris Draper, Head of Animal Welfare & Captivity at Born Free, said: “It seems likely that these snakes had been kept as exotic ‘pets’. Sadly, people are all too often unaware of the specialised needs of wild or exotic animals, and those kept as pets may quickly become unwanted, treated poorly or abandoned. These animals may have complex social, physical and behavioural needs which are impossible to meet in a domestic environment, and in many cases the safety risk they pose to their owners and the wider public should not be underestimated.”
 
Boa constrictors grow to be extremely large, posing a threat to owner safety. In 2017, a man in Hampshire was killed by a large constrictor snake, his pet African rock python.