A 4ft snake found in a Co Clare graveyard had been missing for six weeks but has now been returned to its owner. A woman had gone to pray by a grave at Kilmihil Cemetery last week and was stunned to find the reptile in the grass.
Gardaí from Kilrush cornered the snake while the ISPCA’s Clare branch warden Frankie Coote was notified.
After several days, Mr Coote established that the reptile was a non-venomous corn snake, native to southeastern North America. It can live up to 25 years in captivity.
Following a local appeal, a man contacted the ISPCA.