Albino python sightings on the rise across Coffs Harbour

Albino pythons have been spotted across the Coffs Coast and according to one expert, people are getting into reptile breeding “left, right and centre”. Watch as one devours a rat.

In a bizarre turn of events, a Coffs Coast man who is missing his much-loved albino python, has taken another one into care in an attempt to reunite it with its owner.

Anthony Mather from Safety Beach has been missing “his girl” - an Albino Darwin python - for more than two months.

Anthony Mather is still looking for his albino python.

“The glass was smashed on my enclosure and my snake has not even been sighted since, so we believe mine has been stolen,” Mr Mather said.

“We didn’t report to police as we were not certain (it was stolen), and glass can break for many reasons.”

While he waits on news of his missing pet, he has taken another one into care which had been spotted around the Emerald Beach area in recent months.

“One of the locals said he thinks that snake had been roaming for almost a year and the way it has been feeding suggests that it’s been living off dead animals.

“It would not strike and coil on the first rat I gave it.”

It is much smaller than his original snake, which he had for two-and-a-half years before it went missing.

The albino python Anthony Mather is looking after. He hopes to find its owner.

“My girl is a beautiful snake. I got her when she was a baby,” Mr Mather said.

Albino snakes are not as rare as people think, he said, and according to a local snake expert they have boomed in popularity in recent years.

Matt McEwan is the son of well known reptile expert Steve McEwan from Reptile World at the The Big Banana Fun Park.

He says people are getting into breeding snakes “left, right and centre” but that it’s a “very, very long process” to breed the albino variety over a series of generations.

A shot from the video of Anthony Mather's albino python eating a rat. His snake has been missing for months.

They can fetch up to $2000 each.

Mr McEwan can’t pinpoint why they’ve exploded in popularity.

“As there’s more education about them people are realising they can enjoy keeping reptiles and they can be more interesting than owning a dog or a cat so why not?” he said.

Reptile World has had several calls about albino pythons spotted on the loose around the region, and Mr McEwan says they would be escaped pets as they don’t naturally flourish in the wild as they stand out so clearly to predators.