A 6ft (1.8m) boa constrictor has been found abandoned at an RSPCA animal centre. Staff got a shock when they opened a polystyrene box left outside their front gate and found the reptile.
It was the third case in a week for the South Godstone Animal Centre in Surrey, which has taken in a corn snake and three geckos. Supervisor Clare Hyre said: "We had no idea at all what was inside. Then, as we started to open the box up, this long tail shot out.
"I got quite a fright. In the 12 years I have worked here I have never seen anything like it.
"It was lucky that we found this snake when we did – the box could easily have been missed and she was lucky to be alive. There were no air holes in the box or the temperature controls needed to keep a snake like this healthy."
The boa is a female which can grow to 10ft (3m) in length and live for up to 30 years. It was taken to Patcham Reptile Centre in Brighton and has been found a home with a specialist keeper.