Vets in Co Wicklow have appealed for information on the owners of a white corn snake which was found up a tree in Ballybrack, south Dublin.
After it was found last week, the 1.5m snake was s taken to the Bairbre O’Malley Veterinary Hospital in Bray, which specialises in treating exotic animals.
The hospital has put out a call to the snake’s owner to recover it if it escaped on its own.
A veterinary nurse who deals with exotic animals said the warm weather recently may have caused the snake to escape and venture out from its home.
Leonie Sunderland, a veterinary nurse at the hospital, said staff received a call about the snake, which is not poisonous, from a member of the public who found it in a tree last Friday.
“They don’t usually go out and about in Ireland because it would be too cold. Given the temperatures last week, it may have escaped,” she said.
The snake is now being kept in the clinic, under warm lights, while staff search for the owner. “We have him in a tank that is tightly shut to prevent any escape attempts – he’s very friendly,” Ms Sunderland said.
If an owner does not come forward the snake will be rehomed, likely by one of the clinic’s regular clients.
The clinic saw an increase in exotic pets being brought in for care during the Celtic Tiger period in Ireland, including raccoons, monkeys and reptiles.
There is no legislation in Ireland around owning exotic or poisonous pets.
