An urgent warning has been issued after an 18ft python remains at large in the Lincolnshire countryside, following the discovery of five abandoned reticulated pythons in rural areas.
Four of the exotic snakes have been captured by specialists, but Humberside Police believe one is still roaming free in the Twigmoor and Cleatham areas.
Humberside Police's Rural Task Force launched an investigation after the non-venomous constrictors were found dumped in the countryside, suspected to be abandoned pets.
Officers are urging members of the public not to approach any snake they encounter and to immediately contact detectives with a precise location.
One of the snakes captured by detectives
Humberside Police
The captured pythons included two albino snakes and what experts believe to be a Pied Golden Child Morph. The 18ft snake found near Manton was identified as a wild-type reticulated python.
The reptiles were discovered across multiple locations in North Lincolnshire on June 10, with exotic animal experts assisting in their capture.
Potential offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which prohibits the release of non-native species into the wild, are being investigated.
Officers believe the pythons were abandoned pets, making them less likely to bite humans than their wild counterparts.
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Two of the snakes rescued by expert animal handlers
RSG Reptiles
"These snakes will not attack you," a Humberside Police spokesman said.
"They will only try to defend themselves if they feel threatened."
Dog walkers have been warned to keep their pets on leads in the affected areas while the search continues.
The force stressed that members of the public should not attempt to capture any snake themselves, but should instead monitor it from a safe distance and provide police with a What3Words location.
"DO NOT try to catch it yourself, keep an eye on it and give a What3Words location to the police so it can be assessed by an expert and collected appropriately," the spokesman added.
Officers from Humberside Police are still investigating
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The spokesman continued: "If you have a pet that you can no longer keep for whatever reason, please take it to an exotic animal shop or animal rescue. DO NOT release them into the wild."
Reticulated pythons are the longest snake species on Earth, native to South and Southeast Asia.
They kill prey through constriction, coiling around animals and squeezing them to death.
The force spokesman explained that while these snakes are non-venomous, "in the wild, they will kill their prey by biting it and then coiling around it to literally squeeze the life out of it".
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