Have you lost a python?
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That's the question local snake catcher Jayden Wallis was left asking 24 hours after he stepped in to rescue a coastal carpet python which caused a stir among shoppers in Tamworth's CBD just after lunch on Monday, April 16.
The python was discovered slithering through the trees outside the front of Chemist Warehouse.
While pythons are non-venomous and it was not threatening shoppers, it did draw a large crowd which caused a few issues in itself.
Friends alerted Mr Wallis to the snake's plight, and while he stepped in, he agreed with the NSW Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) position regarding contact with snakes, as noted in our story about the lost snake's plight on Monday, April 15.
"If a snake is non-threatening and it's safe in an area I generally will not touch it, leaving them to themselves," he said.
"Snakes are generally passing through an area when sighted and not usually an issue.
"The python in Peel Street, however, had drawn a massive crowd, and I was told by a few people there were almost a couple of car accidents as people were trying to get a look as they drove by."
Mr Wallis told the Leader snakes were often misunderstood animals.
"Yesterday I acted more out of concern for the snake's wellbeing than anything else - I wanted to get it out of that area and safe," he said.
Despite the excitement and activity in Peel Street, when Mr Wallis caught the python its temperament was "a little bit twitchy", which was potentially the result of being in an unfamiliar area.
"I had to move the snake with the [catching] tongs before I could grab it with my hands, but since its been in the tub, its been very, very chill," he said.
"The snake has not thrashed about or shown any signs of anxiety - he or she has been pretty chill."
Mr Wallis said since catching the snake, he had reports it may have been in the area for a couple of day before being discovered.
Healthy python
On first examination, Mr Wallis said the python looked very healthy.
"I estimate the python is about five years old, judging by size and initial temperament, and the size of the head as well as the body," he said.
Mr Wallis gave the python a health check late on Tuesday, April 16, to make sure there was nothing obvious like broken bones, scale rot or any other sort of injury.
"Judging by its temperament while being handled it was a pet, but has been out on its own for some time," he said.
"It was not aggressive but was unsure about being handled - pet snakes are used to being handled daily.
"Obviously wild snakes don't like to be handled, pet snakes are usually very calm and gentle and don't object to being handled."
So far, Mr Wallis said nobody had reached out to claim the snake.
"I've been scouring social media trying to find the owner ... although it's not common for pet snakes - or any reptile - to escape an enclosure," he said.
"Anything is possible in nature, so there is a very slim chance it could be a wild snake that has make its way into Tamworth."
So just how did the Peel Street python end up outside Chemist Warehouse? It's a safe bet it was not looking to fill a prescription or pick up the latest perfume or cosmetics on sale.
"It's possible the python could have started out in Bicentennial Park, where there are birds and flying foxes, and people with dogs that walk through that area - it may have been trying to find somewhere a little safer," Mr Wallis said.
"Being a coastal snake, they are are arboreal so they spend most of their time up high in trees.
"It probably saw some nice high trees in Peel Street and that's how it ended up there - perhaps climbing a couple of roofs to get there, I'm not entirely sure."
Mr Wallis has been a snake catcher for the past 15 to 20 years, mostly working in Queensland.
He moved to Tamworth about seven years ago, but then spent most of 2023 in Brisbane, moving back to Tamworth in November 2023.
He said this was the first call out he had received for a snake on Peel Street.
"It's definitely the first python I've been called to relocate in Tamworth, although pythons are found throughout NSW.
"Normally it would be whip snakes and brown snakes I'm called to relocate locally."
If you have any details that could help find the snake's owner, please contact Mr Wallis via his Reptile Rescue Facebook page or by mobile 0451 649 616.
