Community rallies to find owner's missing python

The owner of a missing python has thanked his local community for rallying to help find his beloved pet.

Jacob Edwards said his "bundle of joy" ball python Xanthe escaped from his home in Bretton, near Peterborough, on Friday.

He said he felt "quite guilty" after the 4.5ft (1.4m) snake escaped through a small vent in the back of her enclosure overnight after he accidentally left his back door open.

"I've turned the house upside down a stupid amount of times and looked in all the obvious and non-obvious places, such as the kickboards and behind the washing machine and tumble dryer," he said.

Edwards, 22, who said he had kept snakes since he was 13, posted about his ordeal on a local Facebook group and said he had been blown away by the offers of support.

"I had a lot of comments with people saying that they are really scared of snakes, but they'll keep an eye out and they'll let me know," he said.

"I genuinely did think that I'd lost her forever, especially because of the weather conditions. I didn't really take into consideration that she would have tried to find shelter; that is their survival instinct.

"I haven't lived in Bretton very long. I've only been here seven or eight months… I was like, 'wow, they haven't allowed me to give up', so why am I going to let myself give up?"

He said four-year-old Xanthe had been his pet since February and that he had never allowed her to roam outside.

Pythons are non-venomous and, according to the charity World Animal Protection, rarely attack humans.

"I just think they're misunderstood animals," Edwards added.

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