Python in Leeds & Liverpool Canal

A DEAD python has been found floating in the Leeds & Liverpool measuring 16ft, and it is not known if there are others.

The snake was discovered at Riston at Norden Bridge 107A on Sunday, and it is believed it could have lived in the canal for a while, with signs of respiratory disease, that could have contributed to its death, Keith Gudgin tells us.

Asphyxiating their prey

Pythons survive in the wild by constricting and asphyxiating their prey such as rodents and small animals and birds.

It is not known how it came to be in the waterways, but experts examining the snake tell that it is between 12 and 15 years old, and could have outgrown its home and thus been released into the wild.

The worry is that a python of this size is capable of attacking people and once in its grip one could suffer serious harm or even death, so the authorities are asking if anyone knows it has been released, so relieving the concern that there may be more.