A GROUP of cyclists came face-to-face with a predator they were not expecting when they spotted a large boa constrictor lurking next to the path.
The two-and-a-half metre female was nestled between the road and some nearby cypress trees on the boundary of a local property in Malaga on Tuesday February 6.
The cyclists, out for an afternoon ride along the Camino Cortijo Campanillas route, immediately pulled up and stared in astonishment.
Malaga police arrived and – to their relief – found the snake in a lethargic state, showing no signs of aggression or resistance.
A local pest control business owner helped them gather the creature into a cardboard box and off the public path.
Specialists from the Group for Nature Protection (Gruprona) transported it to a local animal protection centre, where experts examined it and determined that it was young and still growing.
It is still not known how the creature ended up by a roadside, but it is thought to have escaped from its owner.
Efforts are currently underway to transfer the boa constrictor to a refuge for exotic species, where it can receive proper care and attention.
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