Aussie's desperate search for two snakes after 'ex-boyfriend dumped pets in street'
A break up has taken a turn for the worse after an ex allegedly 'dumped' his ex-partner's pet snakes in a beachside Sydney suburb.
An Aussie woman has been left heartbroken after her ex allegedly "dumped" her two pet pythons following their break-up.
The woman took to Facebook to plead with locals, asking if anyone had seen her snakes because her ex-boyfriend had, "in a fit of anger" when she had broken off the relationship, set loose the pets in a Coogee street on Saturday.
Both snakes have been identified as native to Australia, but are not local to Sydney and were "hand-reared", so are in serious danger outside their enclosure.
"Captive bred and raised animals do not thrive in the wild," wildlife expert Sam Chatfield confirmed to Yahoo News Australia.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) urged locals not to handle the animals if found, but said they are not considered dangerous to humans. "Please call a local snake catcher or WIRES for assistance," they said.
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Boyfriend allegedly released snakes in spite
The two snakes, aged five and six, had been with their owner since they were hatchlings, but after moving in with her grandma to be her carer, they had been staying with the woman's then-boyfriend in his home in Mount Street, Coogee.
"When I broke up with him on the weekend he threatened to smash the enclosure and dump them," the distressed owner, who does not wish to be named, told Yahoo.
After the initial exchange, the ex reportedly put all of her items out on the nature strip and left the snakes in an open box next to the smashed enclosure for her to pick up — only they were gone when she arrived.
Do you have a story about your pet? Contact reporter Laura Koefoed at laura.koefoed@yahooinc.com
Concerns for snakes' safety
The snakes are not technically considered domesticated, but due to being raised in captivity they have limited knowledge of the natural environment.
"They don't have the awareness of the dangers the wild presents, from cars to dogs, the likelihood they get killed is extremely high," Sam said. "Neither species are [local] to Sydney, and have not evolved to the temperature and conditions".
Although some people have come forward with potential sightings, neither have been found at this stage.
Reptile dumping an ongoing concern
Experts urge people to respect reptiles as they would other pets, with people dumping reptiles when they become too "boring" or "hard" a regular occurrence.
"Please if you have a reptile pet you no longer want, contact NPWS Licensing who can assist with your options. Let's treat reptiles with the same care and respect we do cats and dogs," Sam pleaded.
NPWS reiterated it is an offence under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act) to capture, possess, harm or liberate native animals without the appropriate authority.
"Liberating or abandoning animals can potentially spread disease," they added.
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