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Releasing non-native pets poses a serious risk to our native wildlife
Fearful beasts have been spotted beside the canal in Northamptonshire. Deerstalker hat on, I rushed to investigate
ENCOUNTERS OF A NEW KIND: (Right to left) An albino Burmese python, Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula and a barred grass snake, which is native to our country [SEWilco/Psychonaught/Bernard Dupont/Creative Commons]

LAST year along the canal towpath in rural Northamptonshire we started to hear tales of sightings of a large, exotic and colourful snake, or maybe, more than one.

The similar descriptions from the few people who had had a decent sighting suggested it might be the albino Burmese python — a beautiful golden-blond snake — favoured both by pet-keepers as well as by exotic or even erotic dancers.

It is all too easy to buy a pet python on the internet or from a specialist dealer. You don’t need a special licence. Snakes are being caught in the wild and then illegally imported using forged papers suggesting they were bred in captivity. A six-foot python might cost between £50 and £250 from an internet dealer.

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