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A pet corn snake that vanished for a 12 months has been reunited with its proprietor after it was dropped in a backyard by a crow.
The three-foot-long serpent – named Agnus – was discovered after it slithered up onto a storage roof in Spennymoor, close to Bishop Auckland, County Durham.
The corn snake was first noticed by a shocked girl who found it in her backyard on March 18 and alerted the RSPCA.
She put a plastic recycling field over the corn snake however by the point the animal charity arrived, Agnus had slithered off.
Inspector John Lawson, from the RSPCA, was capable of catch her and hand her again to her relieved proprietor – who has now determined to rehome the snake.
An RSPCA spokesperson stated: ‘We have been referred to as to an space in Spennymoor after studies {that a} three-foot-long snake had been noticed in a resident’s backyard.
‘Inspector John Lawson was despatched to the scene after the shocked home-owner stated the reptile was beneath a plastic recycling field.
‘But when he arrived the feminine snake had slithered off and was nowhere to be seen.
‘After an intensive search of the world a resident then noticed the reptile on prime of a close-by storage roof so John went to the rescue utilizing a sweeping brush deal with to securely retrieve the reptile.
‘And it was then found that the corn snake was truly a pet who had been lacking for a few 12 months.’
Insp Lawson stated: ‘I believe it got here as a little bit of a shock for the resident after they discovered a snake of their backyard.
‘And they did the best factor making an attempt to keep watch over it.
‘But they’re nice escape artists and the pet quickly managed to slither off.’
He added: ‘I had no concept the place she had gone till somebody noticed her on the storage roof.
‘There have been a number of squawking crows round so I think one in all them had picked the snake up after which dropped her after they realised that they had bitten off greater than they might chew.
‘After I rescued the snake a resident residing close by came visiting and was completely delighted because it was her lacking pet from a 12 months in the past referred to as Agnus.
‘I used to be gobsmacked that the reptile had survived as long as snakes aren’t capable of produce their very own physique warmth so that they depend on their setting to keep up their physique temperature.
‘If snakes turn into too chilly they might be unable to feed or transfer usually, and their immune system won’t work correctly to struggle illness, which means the animal can turn into very unwell and infrequently die.’
John took the corn snake to a vet for a check-up and she or he was discovered to have a respiratory an infection from being exterior within the chilly and was handled for this.
He added: ‘The vet believes Agnus had gone into brumation mode, just like hibernation.
‘And her physique had shut down to be able to survive.
‘It actually is wonderful that she survived for therefore lengthy with out warmth – and in addition survived after a crow had determined to attempt to fly off together with her.’
Corn snakes are non-venomous and aren’t deemed a menace to people. They feed on small rodents and birds and are native to North America.
