Couple arrested over abandoned boa constrictor in Valencia street

GUARDIA Civil arrested a man and woman over an abandoned boa constrictor found in a street in L’Eliana in Valencia.

After receiving a call about the unusual find, agents from the Guardia Civil SEPRONA Nature Protection Service scanned the serpent and discovered it had been micro-chipped.

The creature turned out to be a boa from Madagascar which is listed as having maximum protection under the CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

There were no reports of missing boas in the databases, but the CITES authority confirmed the breeder was based in Barcelona.

Investigators set about tracing the snake trail, and eventually following phonecalls and witness statements they tracked down the breeder. They reported the boa had been in the care of a family in L’Eliana at the time it was found.

The result was the detention of the couple, both in their thirties.