Five foot long Burmese Python found abandoned in the Wicklow mountains

The snake was underweight, dehydrated, and injured.

A very large snake was found abandoned in the Wicklow mountains over the weekend. The female Burmese Python was discovered by a local farmer in the Wicklow Mountains National Park. He alerted the ISPCA who then rescued the five foot long creature and placed her in the care of a reptile specialist. The snake was underweight, dehydrated, and injured when she was found. She has since been named 'Sammi.' ISPCA chief inspector Conor Dowling said that the snake is "hanging in there" but it remains unclear whether she will survive. "This snake did not make its own way up the Wicklow Mountains and we believe that it was abandoned and left in an environment not suited to an animal of this type," he said. "We suspect that it had been abandoned some days prior to her discovery but we also have reason to be concerned about the care that it was receiving prior to its release." Dowling said that animals like Sammi suffer "slow, lingering deaths" when left to fend for themselves in Irish climates. He said that Burmese Pythons have specialised environmental requirements needed to survive. "During the exceptional summer last year, the ISPCA rescued two snakes which were active due to the warm weather," he said. "It raises the question how many animals of this type are out there dying slowly after being discarded by irresponsible owners that no longer want them." Dowling said that the ISPCA would like to see breeding and selling regulations put in place when it comes to exotic pets. Anybody with any information about Sammi the snake is asked to contact the ISPCA National Animal Cruelty Helpline on 1890 515 515 or email [email protected] in confidence.