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'Ghost' Snake Sends Shivers Through Town As 4ft Reptile Seen Slithering In Street

Shaun and Cory came across the ghostly animal when returning to their home on Prestatyn High Street, Denbighshire

A Snow Corn Snake. File image (

Image: CT)

A 4ft-long albino snake is not an everyday find just off a bustling high street in a seaside town in North Wales. When her son Cory ran indoors saying he'd found one, Kelsie Cox just assumed it was a toy snake left lying around.

As she has a fear of snakes, Kelsie quickly made herself scarce when husband Shaun confirmed the snow-white reptile was very much real and alive. Cory and sister Phoebe watched on as their dad took photos, retrieved the snake and placed it in a box.

Shaun and Cory came across the ghostly animal when returning to their home on Prestatyn High Street, Denbighshire, reports North Wales Live.

"It was in the back garden just lying in the sun," said Kelsie.

"When Cory came running inside saying he's found a snake, I was thinking it was a fake one. I'm terrified of snakes - I didn't get very close but my children loved it. I left Shaun to care for it while I shared a photo on social media."

The 'Snow' Corn snake is being cared for by Idlewild Animal Sanctuary in the Conwy Valley (

Image:

Idlewild Animal Sanctuary)

She wasn't the only one left feeling slightly queasy. Seeing Kelsie's post, a Deganwy woman said: "I think I would have died if I'd stumbled across that on the High Street." A man expressed similar sentiments. "If I saw that I would be the first man on Mars," he shivered.

Identified as a non-venomous Corn snake, it is thought to be a "Snow" morph as it had hints of orange-yellow pigmentation. Despite their strange appearance, white Corns are relatively common as they have become popular as pets.

When no one stepped forward to claim the Prestatyn snake, Kelsie contacted Idlewild Animal Sanctuary in the Conwy Valley. As well as offering respite for rescued birds and livestock, it rehabilitates injured and sicky animals, and rehomes others.

After accepting the Corn snake into her care, sanctuary manager Kim Barton-Jones said it was "definitely hungry". She added: "The poor snake made short work of some food."

The albino snake was found sunbathing in a back garden off Prestatyn High Street (

Image:

Shaun Cox)

Cats and chickens are more commonly rehomed by Idlewild, though earlier this year the sanctuary appealed for new homes for 56 mice. Snakes are a relative rarity, though last month a 4ft Boa Constrictor was voluntarily surrendered to its care.

No one has yet offered it a new home. "Not a lot of people have the right facilities for a Boa Constrictor," said Kim.

Neither has the owner of Prestatyn's albino Corn snake been identified so far. They have seven days to come forward and show proof of ownership, such as photos and vet references.

If the owner is not traced, the snake will be offered to people with experience of looking after reptiles. Already there have been plenty of offers for the "absolutely beautiful" snake.

Kelsie's children were "amazed" to find a snake in their garden but, given their mum's phobia, they won't get to rehome it. "It was definitely a different type of day," said Kelsie. "I didn't expect it at all but I'm glad the snake is safe."

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Family 'terrified' After Finding 'ghost Snake' In Their Back Garden

© Provided by Metro The 4ft-long reptile had been sunbathing outside the Cox family home (Picture: Daily Post Wales)

When young Cory told his mum he'd seen a snake, she thought he was simply telling tales.

Kelsie Cox had assumed a toy left around had sparked her son's panic.

But her husband, Shaun, soon broke the news that Cory had in fact found a very real reptile.

The albino snake had been slithering around the garden outside much to the shock of the family.

Cory and sister Phoebe watched on as their dad took photos, retrieved the snake and placed it in a box.

Kelsie, who has a fear of snakes, had made herself scarce during the rescue.

Shaun and Cory had come across the ghostly 4ft long animal when returning to their home on Prestatyn High Street, in the seaside town of Denbighshire in Wales.

Kelsie told North Wales Live: 'It was in the back garden just lying in the sun.

© Provided by Metro Pictures of the snake sent shivers down the spines of others in the seaside town of Denbighshire (Picture: Daily Post Wales)

'When Cory came running inside saying he's found a snake, I was thinking it was a fake one. I'm terrified of snakes – I didn't get very close but my children loved it. I left Shaun to care for it while I shared a photo on social media.'

The mum-of-two wasn't the only one left feeling slightly queasy.

Seeing Kelsie's post, one local woman said: 'I think I would have died if I'd stumbled across that on the High Street.'

A man expressed similar sentiments. 'If I saw that I would be the first man on Mars,' he shivered.

It soon emerged the albino snake was in fact a non-venomous Corn snake. It is thought to be a 'Snow' morph as it had hints of orange-yellow pigmentation.

© Provided by Metro The snake is in need of a new home (Picture: Daily Post Wales)

When no one stepped forward to claim the snake, Kelsie contacted Idlewild Animal Sanctuary in the Conwy Valley.

As well as offering respite for rescued birds and livestock, it rehabilitates injured and sicky animals, and rehomes others.

After accepting the Corn snake into her care, sanctuary manager Kim Barton-Jones said it was 'definitely hungry'.

She told North Wales Live: 'The poor snake made short work of some food.'

Cats and chickens are more commonly rehomed by Idlewild, though earlier this year the sanctuary appealed for new homes for 56 mice. Snakes are a relative rarity, though last month a 4ft Boa Constrictor was voluntarily surrendered to its care.

No one has yet offered it a new home. 'Not a lot of people have the right facilities for a Boa Constrictor,' said Kim.

Neither has the owner of Prestatyn's albino Corn snake been identified so far. They have seven days to come forward and show proof of ownership, such as photos and vet references.

If the owner is not traced, the snake will be offered to people with experience of looking after reptiles.

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Shock As Louisiana Man Finds Deadly Snake Curled Inside His Shoe

How often do you check your shoes for snakes before you put them on? The answer is probably not often enough.

Jeffrey Tucker, from Baton Rouge in Louisiana, can attest to this first hand, after almost stepping on a venomous cottonmouth curled up in his crocs on May 11.

"My shoes were on the back patio," Tucker told Newsweek. "I went to put in my foot and he stuck his head out for a second."

The cottonmouth was only a baby, stretching to only about a foot long. However, juvenile snakes can still be dangerous.

"I was startled by seeing what was in there," Tucker said. "We usually have frogs from time to time but never a snake."

Cottonmouth snakes—also called water moccasins—are a venomous species found throughout the southeastern U.S. "In Louisiana, Cottonmouths range across the entire state from top to the bottom tip," Kevin Hood, from Louisiana Snake ID, told Newsweek.

Tucker said that is was very common to see cottonmouths around his area.

Adult cottonmouths tend to grow to between 1.5 and 4.5 feet long, according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, with vague black or dark brown crossbands along their tan brown bodies. The juveniles display bolder patterns of dark brown crossbands along a pink or orange background, with a bright yellow tail.

The snake's name derives from the white coloration on the inside of their mouths, which they display when they feel threatened.

© Jeffrey Tucker/Michael A Damanski/Facebook/Getty Photo of the juvenile cottonmouth in Tucker's croc (left) compared to an adult cottonmouth (right). Jeffrey Tucker/Michael A Damanski/Facebook/Getty

Although cottonmouth bites are extremely rare, their venom contains a potent blood toxin that can be deadly to humans. Envenomation can result in tissue damage, internal bleeding and hemorrhaging throughout the circulatory system. As a result, all bites should be treated as a medical emergency.

According to Hood, finding a snake in your shoe is not all that unusual: "Cottonmouths are opportunistic eaters who love frogs, lizards and toads and frogs/toads often find the inside of shoes as a safe, dark place to hide," he said.

To avoid stepping on the scaly squatter, Tucker quickly removed it from his shoe. "I grabbed him with a stick and tossed him into the creek behind my home," he said. "He was okay [...] I put the shoes on after he was gone."

Lucky for Tucker, the small snake was fairly easy to remove. However, if you find a snake on your property, the safest way to remove it is to call in a professional.

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