Bournemouth man tracks down 6ft snake loose in Hampshire

Snake enthusiast Zoltan Pohner drove straight to Hawley Meadows in Blackwater, Hampshire, following reports a carpet python had been spotted there.

The 31-year-old spent three days searching the grassland area, before eventually capturing the giant reptile on Saturday, April 15.

However, after returning home with the snake, and taking a close look at its patterns, Zoltan realised it was not the python that had been reported missing.

Zolton told the Daily Echo: “When I captured the snake on Saturday, I was so happy. It was so big, and it was alive. I thought that was the end of the story.

“But I had the wrong guy.”

Zolton, who is originally from Hungary, first developed a love of snakes around three years ago. He said he found them “fascinating” and “calming” during a difficult time in his life.

Zoltan with the python he first captured (Image: NQ)

Knowing a giant python was potentially still on the loose, Zolton travelled back to Hawley Meadows on Tuesday, April 18, to embark on a brand-new search. 

Zolton said: “I know snakes very well, so I knew where to look. They are smart, but they’re all the same. They like hiding, and they climb trees.

“So, I checked all the bushes, and all the trees, many many times over, and I was walking up and down.”

Sadly, when Zolton eventually tracked down the snake wrapped around a tree, it was dead.

He suspects that carpet python, along with the one he had already captured, had been dumped by the same owner at an earlier date.

Zolton said: “With the cost of everything, people can’t afford to keep them, so they let them go.

“I wanted to go look for them because they can only survive two or three days out there.

“It’s a crime. They’re such beautiful animals.”

Now named ‘Lucky’, the first python Zolton found is living with him at his Bournemouth home.

He is also hoping that the police can track down the person or people that dumped the snake.