Ponderosa's stolen boa constrictor is recovered from Dewsbury house

Jun 29 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Stolen boa constrictor is recovered from Dewsbury house

SHE’S back at home and recovering from her ordeal.

Malificent, the nine-foot boa constrictor, is safely back in the reptile house at the Ponderosa animal centre.

Thieves had smashed a reinforced window to steal the snake last Tuesday.

But in a night-time police raid, reptile handlers found her curled up in a darkened house in Dewsbury Moor.

Now she is delighting visitors again at the Heckmondwike centre, although staff are uncertain if she will suffer any long-term effects.

Centre manager Lisa Bownes said: “She looks to be in good condition, despite the conditions in which she was found.

“But it is difficult to tell how much stress she was subjected to, being dragged through a broken window and then left in a house totally unsuitable for her.

“She will be due a feed later this week and we will know better then if she is fully recovered”.

Malificent has been a feature at the centre for the past few months, but she is thought to be up to 10 years old.

Boa constrictors can live to the age of 30.