Nation warned hundreds of snakes could escape during heatwave
In 2022, the RSPCA was called to over 1000 snake callouts during the warmer months.
British tourists heading to Australia are often worried about the country’s “dangerous” reptiles, but conditions back home could be just as iminous this summer. Exotic snakes have been escaping from their enclosures in England as temperatures rise, making the reptiles more active.
In 2022, the RSPCA received 1031 callouts for snakes in need of help — roughly 110 a month from May to August. While incidents are slightly down on last year, the charity told Yahoo News Australia they’re “still pretty high”. That could change, as next month it's predicted England could experience a 14-day heatwave with temperatures reaching 40 degrees.
In June, the warning has been renewed, with Londoners reminded that a 1.5 metre-long boa constrictor, a species originally found in the Amazon rainforest, was discovered in a park in May.
“It's exotic (non-native) pet snakes. People in the UK don't tend to keep native 'wild' snakes as pets,” the charity told Yahoo.
Anyone who spots a non-native snake on the loose is urged to keep a "safe distance" and call the RSPCA for help.
Snakes abandoned as novelty wears off
While some of the snakes are escapees, sadly dozens of others are unwanted pets that have been abandoned. Once the novelty wears off, snakes are sometimes neglected by their owners, leading them to become sick with serious diseases or succumb to dehydration, injuries and parasites.
“We find that many people are unaware of how much of a commitment these animals are when they take them on, which we believe may be why we are called out to deal with hundreds of animals every year who have sadly been abandoned when their owners can no longer meet their needs,” the RSPCA’s Evie Button said in a statement.
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Adders along with grass and smooth snakes are the only snakes native to England and they are an important part of the country’s ecology.
Exotics can pose an immediate threat to them and other wildlife, so it’s illegal to release them. Once set free, the snakes are unlikely to survive long-term, particularly when the weather cools.
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