An unusual residence slithered its way into The Mayhew Animal Home yesterday when the local police brought in a Python after finding it freezing to death outside on a pavement in Hammersmith.

The metre-long baby Royal Python, thought to be a year old, was found on the streets by a concerned passer-by who took it into their local police station. Police officers then swiftly brought the snake into our home, where it has been since kept in a warm place to heat up.

The snake, nicknamed by our staff as Ebenezer, will stay with us until we can hand him over to a suitable reptile rescue centre, who will look after him from there.

Our Head of Animal Welfare, Gillian Notton, said: ‘’Ebenezer was freezing and had run out of energy but otherwise seems to be in good health. If it had been left out another night it would have died or would have been run over. We’ve put it in a warm place to get heated so Ebenezer is now thawing and chilling out in a cat basket beside the radiator in the office.

‘’Ebenezer’s temperature is getting back to normal. We’ll look after the snake and then it will go to a reptile rescue centre when it’s recovered.’’

Though we usually deal with just cats and dogs, this isn’t actually the first time we’ve taken on a slithery resident, and have even taken in rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets and a tortoise in the past.

The Evening Standard covered an article on our slippery resident, which you can read here.