A HOAXER caused panic on the streets after putting up a poster claiming his 6ft-long pet boa constrictor was on the loose.
The bogus appeal to help find “Terry” was posted in Edinburgh and resulted in a spate of fearful posts on social media.
The poster showed a picture of a man handling an enormous snake and was captioned “missing” and suggested Terry had a taste for pregnant women.
The text stated: “Urgent. We just got back from two weeks in the Congo and our prized and loved pet Terry has vanished.
“We made sure the toilet lids were down and Terry’s cage was locked but there you go, he’s like bloody Houdini.”
The poster, put up in the Gorgie area of the city, added: “He’s toothless and doesn’t cause any risk to anyone pleasant and not pregnant.
“Please let me know if you spot him, and I will come collect, if not I’m afraid he’s lost for good. Cheers in advance Miro and Lex.” A mobile number was added which, when called, connects to an answerphone.
After a picture of the poster appeared on social media, there was a panicked responde on social media.
Lauren Welsh said: “What the f***? I’m no leaving my house again. That is the fear.”
Ricky Smith said: “I f****** hate snakes will be avoiding Gorgie from now on.”
Karly Donald said: “Naw I’m staying indoors now.”
Lewis Napier said: “I’ll no be near Gorgie for a while if that’s on the loose.”
Michelle Welsh said: “Oh nut. Surely it wouldn’t get up our stairs.”
Wendy Taylor said: “F*** I need to go there tomorrow as well.”
Kim Ratcliffe added: “I’m no leaving my house.”
But an eagle-eyed social media user revealed the poster was a joke after spotting that the mobile number had appeared on earlier pranks.
Another poster, also put up in Edinburgh, claimed to be an advert for a “free dog”, which is “ferocious with children, isn’t house trained and barks abusively at the slightest of noises”.
A third joke poster related to dog mess and was from someone claiming to be ex-military and threatening to cause the culprit’s owner “extreme harm”.
