Two boa constrictors have been found at a golf course within one week, causing fears more might be released in the area.<\/p>\n
Aaron Cox, a pro golfer at Blackwell Grange Golf Club in Darlington, said the latest snake was discovered on 20 June and “took a swipe” at him while he picked it up to place it in a box.<\/p>\n
The Australian said it was “standard” for him to have to deal with snakes at golf courses but his colleagues were very concerned about future discoveries in the long grass.<\/p>\n
The club has asked Darlington Borough Council for help going forwards to stop further cases but the authority said it was on private land and was “not a council issue”.<\/p>\n
Cox said the more than 6ft-long (1.8m) boa constrictor was found in the same area as one he had boxed a week earlier.<\/p>\n
“The consensus of the staff is that they are being dumped here after they have grown too long,” he said.<\/p>\n
“There’s a pond on the course where they are being put and then they are slithering up into the long grass.”<\/p>\n
Cox was forced to pick up the latest boa constrictor to put it into a cardboard box and transport it to local exotic animal shop Coast to Coast Exotics.<\/p>\n
“Other people didn’t want to go near it but it was standard for me,” Cox said.<\/p>\n
“The one on Saturday I had to pick up and he had a swipe at me and you could hear the snake hissing at me from the box.”<\/p>\n
Both snakes were found to have inclusion body disease, a fatal illness which affects constrictor snakes including boas and pythons.<\/p>\n
The snakes were taken from Coast to Coast Exotics by Richmond Exotics Centre but one died after two hours at a foster home and the other was euthanised by a vet.<\/p>\n
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