5-Foot Boa Constrictor Found Outside McDonald's Believed To Be An Escaped Pet

A 5-foot boa constrictor has stirred panic among crew members after being spotted by a local near a McDonald's store in the U.K. The snake is believed to be a house pet that escaped its enclosure.

The sighting took place outside the fast-food restaurant located along Oldlands Way in Bognor Regis, West Sussex in England. The resident who found the reptile initially believed it was a British adder, a snake species commonly found all over the U.K. mainland, but it was determined to be a boa constrictor after the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) was called in, LADbible reported.

The local, who thought the snake might have been injured in a traffic accident, handed it over to the RSPCA officials after locking it in a box. After arriving at the site, RSPCA Inspector Hannah Nixon said she, too, had initially theorized it might be an adder but was shocked to find out that it was a venomous constrictor.

"Based on the report that was phoned in, I was expecting an adder, which is a fairly common native British snake. But when I peeked in the box, I was confronted with a full 5-foot of boa constrictor — a full, non-native snake and not what I was expecting at all," Nixon said, as per iTV.

Nixon added that the snake showed signs that it had been out there for quite some time. "The poor animal did look like he had been in the wars a bit, with a few scratches and cuts, so I have taken him to our Stubbington Ark animal center in Fareham, Hampshire, to get him checked out," she explained, according to the outlet.

The inspector went on to say that the reptile seemed like an escaped pet. "Snakes become particularly active in hot weather, so we suspect this may be an escaped pet. We are hoping to reunite him with his owners, so would urge anyone with information to contact us on 0300 123 0818," she added.

According to the RSPCA, many snake owners take their pets outside during summer as sunlight is good for the reptiles. However, Nixon warned that since snakes are good at escaping, each owner must ensure that their pet's enclosure is locked properly.

"Snakes are excellent escape artists and will take the opportunity of a gap in an enclosure door, or a loose-fitting lid to make a break for it," Nixon said, as per LADbible. "So we would urge all pet snake owners to be extra vigilant at this time of year, invest in an enclosure suitable for the particular species and make sure that enclosure is kept secure and locked, if necessary, when unattended."