Dumped boa constrictor blocks Widdington driveway

The snake was in good condition, despite being left without heating, light or water, all of which are essential for its survival

A six-foot-long (1.8m) boa constrictor has been found dumped inside a glass vivarium blocking a driveway on a housing estate.

The snake was left without heating or light, with an empty water bowl, at Hamel Way, in Widdington, Essex.

The RSPCA said a resident has given them CCTV footage of man getting out of a car and leaving the vivarium.

Animal rescue officer Enola Evans said: "There's never any excuse to dump an animal like this."

It was left in a vivarium which had been dumped on a driveway on a housing estate at Widdington, near Saffron Walden

Ms Evans said: "Despite that, she was in a good condition and she is a really beautiful snake with a vivid coloured skin."

She added she has recently picked up a number of abandoned snakes after they have died.

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"These sort of abandonments could be down to a number of factors such as the cost of living crisis and people not being able to take reptiles with them when they move homes," she said.

The charity urged people who are struggling to meet their animal's needs to ask for help, instead of abandoning them.

It said it has seen a 34% rise in the number of dumped animals, with 2,047 cases reported to the RSPCA in June compared to 1,527 in June 2022.

The boa, which was discovered at about 18:30 BST on 20 August, was taken to a specialist aquatics and reptile centre in Norfolk.