Wandering snake found in middle of town street

A SNAKE was being cared for in a veterinary practice after being found by a dog walker in the middle of the street.

The 12in reptile, believed to be a harmless American corn snake, was discovered lying in the road in an Aberdeenshire town by a woman out walking her dog.

She thought it was a rubber toy – until she went to pick it up and it wriggled out of her grasp.

A passing taxi driver then took the wayward snake, which was found on Brickfield Road in Stonehaven, to a local veterinary practice in the town.

Sam Hutchinson, one of the vets at Stonehaven’s Kirkton Veterinary Centre, said: “The lady, who was out walking her dog, thought it was a rubber snake. It gave her a bit of a shock.

“It looks healthy enough – so it has either escaped or been dumped. But it needs to be put in vivarium, where it can have the right sort of temperatures, and to be fed as well. We will try to find who owns this snake.”

Corn snakes are native to North America and live for about 18 years in captivity.