The Toy Snake that ‘Became Real.’
When four-year-old Leonard Yip was given a plastic toy snake he put it
to good use, hiding it around the house in a running practical joke to
scare his parents.
So when his father Mark Yip saw a 3ft long white creature slithering
slowly along his lawn, he thought nothing of it. Until he realised
Leonard was at school.
Mr Yip was amazed to discover that an escaped pet snake, which bore a
striking resemblance to Leonard's toy, had found its way into his back
garden in Paignton, Devon.
The 44-year-old ran into his house and rang an officer at the animal
control department at his local council, who was able to confirm the
reptile was an albino Californian king snake, and harmless to humans.
Leonard's mother Cindy Yip, who runs a Chinese restaurant with her
husband, said: "Leonard loves his toy snake. I bought it for him as a
present but he knows we're afraid of it and he's always using it to
scare us.
"When it started to move and we realised it was real. In Chinese
tradition we believe if a white snake comes into your house it will
bring you good luck, so we hope it will.
"Once Mark knew it wasn't poisonous he held it in his hands until the
council arrived.
"Mark's braver than me but we he realised what he thought was a toy
snake was a real one he got a big shock."
The animals, which kill their prey by constriction, are normally found
in California and eat mice lizards and birds. It is thought this snake
was a pet which had escaped or been discarded, and had been surviving
in the wild for several weeks.
It has now been handed to a pet shop to be looked after while its
owners are traced.
Manager Tim Morris said: "It is in an awful state."
The Telegraph: Late April 2008
