An on-the-loose, 6ft long boa constrictor has sparked panic in a village after slithering out of it’s tank.
The giant snake – named Mavis – escaped after her heavily pregnant owner Trinity Favis forgot to secure the vivarium.
Trinity said she is now desperate to track down her missing pet before the weather gets too cold – and before her neighbours completely shun her.
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“It’s too cold for her outside now really,” Trinity, who lives in Malborough, near Dartmouth, Devon, told What’s The Jam.
“What’s most sad is it’s my fault.
“I’m 38 weeks pregnant and her vivarium is kept on the floor.
“I bent down to lock it and obviously didn’t do it properly.
“And now she’s escaped and all the neighbours don’t love me.
“We’ve got a dog and have had the back door open because it’s been hot so Mavis must have gone out there.
“I love her very much, though she’s a snake and doesn’t care about me.
“I’ve had her three years since she was a baby.
“I have her brother too – but Mavis has gone and she is not going to try and find a way home.
“I just hope someone who likes snakes sees her.”
Her village has a population of about 1,100 people.
Mavis, who is grey and black and as thick as a forearm, is still missing despite frantic efforts to find her.
Trinity said: “We ripped up all the decking in the garden and pulled the house apart.
“The neighbours are keeping an eye out too.
“Our direct neighbours have got rabbits.
“We were thinking Mavis may have gone there but I guess she’s not hungry because there’s no sign.”
Boa constrictors are non-venomous but kill prey by wrapping around and suffocating it.
Trinity warned that Mavis could be difficult to spot.
She added: “They can go months without food but it’s not like she won’t be able to find a rat, the UK is riddled with them.
“If she finds somewhere warm enough she could survive winter.
“For all I know she got into someone else’s house and is behind their fridge or she’s managed to bury herself in a compost heap.”
Boa constrictors are native to South America, where they typically prey on rodents.
The hunt for Mavis continues.
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