Three pythons and cat found dead in South Lanarkshire woods
- Published
The first python was found in a wooded area near Carstairs in South Lanarkshire
Three pythons and a cat have been found dead in the same wooded area in South Lanarkshire.
A member of the public found the first snake at about 10:30 on 18 December, between Carstairs and the Clyde Valley nursing home.
Two further snakes and a black and white cat were found in the same spot three days later.
Animal welfare officers have called the discoveries "unusual" in their appeal for information.
The snakes are all adult royal python and are about one metre (40 inches) in length.
The cat was not micro-chipped.
Scottish SPCA inspector Dawn Robertson said, "Sadly, the snakes were already dead when they were discovered.
"When I attended the second call, I also came across the body of a cat at the foot of a nearby tree a few metres from the snakes.
"Although we can't be certain of the circumstances surrounding these deaths, it's certainly a very unusual incident and we're keen to establish how the bodies came to be in that stretch of woodland.
"If anyone recognises these snakes, or the cat, and knows who may have owned them, we would urge them to contact us as soon as possible."