A man says he “had to double take” when he saw a huge green snake coming out of a drain in Cardiff. Lewys Theo was on his way home from work on Friday afternoon when he saw the snake slithering out of the drain and onto the pavement on Cymmer Street in Grangetown.
Lewys told WalesOnline: “I was coming home from work and saw the snake coming out of a guttering pipe. A neighbour had already called the RSPCA who advised the snake could be venomous.
“The snake looked like it was struggling in the heat. We decided to move it from the floor and into a box with the help of a neighbour. We then waited for the RSPCA to attend who took it away. I sent a photo to a nature expert who anticipated it being an escaped pet.”
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Felix Ray from Cardiff has since confirmed that he is the owner of the pet. Responding to comments on Facebook about the rogue snake, he said: “The way it escaped is insane. Poked its humidifier back through the hole with its nose and just left. Never seen such intelligent behaviour from a snake. If anyone knows who picked it up I’d be eternally grateful.”
The snake appears to be a Baron’s green racer - endemic to South America and mildly venomous. If threatened, they are also known to give off an unusual smell in defence. According to experts they can reach a total of 180 centimetres in length.
Lewys added: “I have never seen one like that before but I’m not a big fan of snakes anyway. I thought it was a bit unusual, and I did a double take.”
Grangetown’s community page on Facebook was actually quite welcoming of the snake. One resident said: “Does this account for the four dead rats that were on Cymmer Street recently?” Another joked: “Should put more snakes about if there are that many rats.” Get stories like this straight to your inbox with our newsletters.
A third resident responded: “Beautiful snakes. They are someone’s pet that will be missed. Hope the owner comes forward. If not, I’ll have.”
