Walk ends in snake escapade

Published on 25/07/2012 00:00

A MAN walking along a riverbank in the Austrian city of Salzburg came across and captured a seven-and-a-half-feet boa constrictor.

“That was brave, but we do not recommend imitating him because it is dangerous,” said Susanne Hemetsberger, head of the Austrian Animal Protection Association. Constrictors squeeze their prey to death before swallowing it.

Efforts to find the owner have been fruitless, and Ms Hemetsberger said the incident, which happened last Friday, was probably a case of an owner setting loose an exotic pet that had proved too much to handle.