During a wild boar hunt in Vaudrimesnil, in the delegated commune of Saint-Sauveur-Villages (Manche), around twenty hunters discovered on Saturday February 10 an unusual animal in the region: an adult boa constrictor of almost two meters.
The troop found the dead snake near a small pond, and contacted the deputy mayor, Pascal Barbet.
The municipality's technical services recovered the reptile at the start of the week before the French Biodiversity Office (OFB) came to collect the corpse Thursday morning, as reported by La Presse de la Manche.
The organization has opened an investigation to determine the reasons for the presence of the carnivore in the wild, while their detention for individuals is regulated.
The question of its origin will arise: did the boa, a protected species found on the American continent, escape or was it abandoned by its owner in the wilderness?
An animal accustomed to tropical forests or wetlands, the snake which consumes live prey by suffocating them had little chance of surviving in France at this time of year.