A Mexican Black Kingsnake had families’ blood running cold when it escaped in Elephant and Castle in the summer.
The three-foot-long constrictor was on the loose for over twenty-four hours after a builder spotted it slithering around gardens in Oswin Street.
It was later deemed “totally harmless” but still rattled residents who were flung into “panic” over the jet-black fugitive.
Local man Anthony Poggo “almost stepped” on the slippery customer before Safari Pete, a local conservationist and crocodile handler, swooped in.
The renowned reptile rescuer, along with his son, captured the exotic specimen before taking it to a local reptile centre.
Safari Pete said: “I’ve been rescuing my snakes my whole life. We don’t often have problematic snakes in the UK – it’s disproportionately dogs and cats!”