Exotic animal ban for man who kept 7ft boa constrictor in 4ft tank

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A man has been banned from keeping exotic animals for two years after he was convicted of neglecting a snake at his flat. The RSPCA said Bella, an adult female boa constrictor, was seven feet long.

She was kept by James McAlonan in a vivarium which measured just 4ft by 2ft, said the charity. McAlonan , 44, of Devon Close, Brinnington, Stockport, admitted two charges under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 of causing unnecessary suffering and failing to meet the needs of the boa constrictor when he appeared before Tameside magistrates' court on May 5, the RSPCA added in a statement.

They said McAlonan was keeping a number of reptiles at his home, including turtles, but Bella was found to be suffering from a serious mouth infection for which vet treatment had not been sought. "Her skin was scabbed and bleeding, and she was living in 'inadequate conditions' in a vivarium whose internal temperature was too low for a snake to thrive," said the RSPCA. "The enclosure was also too small for the snake, who was seven-foot in length." RSPCA Inspector Demi Hodby was asked to attend McAlonan's flat by police, who executed a warrant there on February 18 last year after reports the boa constrictor was roaming around loose inside.

In a witness statement to the court, Inspector Hodby, said Bella was 'very cold' to touch, the temperature of the vivarium was between 13.3C and 13.8C and there was no food or water laid down for her.