Charlotte Smith said she reported her discovery to Gwent Police and the RSPCA
16:15, 14 Oct 2025Updated 17:25, 14 Oct 2025
The creature was between one and two metres long, it’s estimated(Image: Charlotte Smith)
A massive snake was spotted at a Welsh beauty spot. Dog walker Charlotte Smith came across the huge reptile, thought to be a type of python, at Bargoed Common on Saturday. The 31-year-old said she became aware of it when her mixed breed dog Ella found it and tried to roll on it.
She estimated it was around one metre and a half long. She said: “I’m not scared of snakes at all but I’m very aware of adders as a dog walker so I screamed and grabbed my dog.
“My mum who is terrified of snakes came over and asked what I was screaming about and then she was gone – running for the hills.”
Although Charlotte can’t be sure how the snake came to be on the common she said it seemed most likely the creature had been dumped. Stay informed on Caerphilly news by signing up to our newsletter here
“It’s quite sad,” she said. “Initially I was looking at it thinking maybe it had gone into hibernation as my sister has snakes and I know they can do that if they get too cold.
“But then somebody who knows a lot about snakes went to collect it [and confirmed it was dead].
“The area where I was was probably about three miles from the nearest home so there’s no way a snake could have made it there on their own in this weather. Maybe in the summer if we were having a heatwave.
“We walked there the day before and it wasn’t there or the dogs would have found it.”
Charlotte said the discovery was sad and urged people to respect all creatures(Image: Charlotte Smith)
Charlotte said she shared images of the snake online to appeal to any potential owners who may be missing a snake.
She said: “I shared it online in case someone had been burgled or an ex-partner had dumped it and so someone was missing a snake.
“Although I think what has probably happened is that the snake died at home and someone has thought it’s funny to put it up the mountain to scare people.
“The person who collected the snake was going to take it to the vet to see if it had a microchip but they said all they could do is dispose of it if they took it in.”
Charlotte said she reported her discovery to Gwent Police and the RSPCA.
Although nothing could be done to save the snake she urged people to respect all animals and reptiles.
She said: “Anything that gets awareness out about this is important because if a puppy had been dumped people would care more.
“But because it’s a snake people think: ‘Eww I don’t care.’”