Ball python triggers alarm, and questions

Residents in Booth’s Passage were alarmed to find a ball python curled up on an Old Town window ledge recently.

The non-venomous snake, which is native to sub-Saharan west and central Africa, was discovered late last month and is believed to be a pet that either escaped or was released.

Personnel from the Environmental Protection and Research Unit safely captured the snake, which is now under the care of a local vet.

But some residents in the area expressed concern following its discovery.

“It was a huge fright,” one person with a young family said.

“The worst thing was imagining what might have happened if it had got into our house at night.”

Another resident echoed that sentiment and said: “I want to feel safe when I go out to throw the rubbish.”

The Department of the Environment told the Chronicle it had launched an investigation to determine how the snake came to be in Gibraltar’s Old Town and to take any appropriate steps to prevent a reoccurrence.

A spokesperson said no one had come forward to claim the snake and its owner had yet to be tracked down.

Ball pythons are nocturnal and solitary animals that prey mainly on rodents and are known to coil into a tight ball when threatened.

They can grow to between three and six feet in length and are commonly kept as pets due to their comparatively small size and calm nature.

However, they require specific paperwork to be legally imported into Gibraltar as they are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.