"5 metres and 33 kilos". Man kept 11 snakes in a flat in Poznań

The operation was carried out on Monday, but the police did not want reveal too many details.

"I can only say that this operation was related to a criminal case, regarding illegal possession a firearm and ammunition. The officers came to the flat in order to detain its resident, and only in the course of the operation it turned out exotic animals were found inside," said Iwona Leszczyńska from Poznań Police.

The snakes had to be secured and rescued from the flat, and that's why the police asked the specialists from the Poznań Zoo for help.

After arriving at the flat, the Zoo employees immediately assessed the terraria were not cleaned the right way. "Dirt, no lamps, inadequate humidity. The conditions they were kept in leave a lot to be desired," said Małgorzata Chodyła, the spokesperson of the Poznań Zoo. "Also there were too many of them," she added.

Furthermore, the owner had placed two or three snakes in each terrarium, the spokesperson said. "This becomes even more problematic when it comes to feeding these animals once a month with apportioned number of mice and rats. Reptiles cannot compete for rodents. In order to feed one, two other need to be placed in a separate contained," Chodyła explained.

In a small, two-bedroom apartment of some 40 square metres, a total of 11 snakes were kept, mainly pythons and anacondas. "This yellow one had to be carried by six people. It's the largest one, it has over five metres and weighs over 33 kilos," the spokesperson said.

The snakes have been transported to the Old Zoo at Zwierzyniecka street, where they have been quarantined in a separate pavilion. "We didn't want to mix them with our stock, zoo visitors cannot see them at display. Due to the conditions in which they had to live, we now must examine them all," Chodyła said.

As of yet, it hasn't been determined where the animals will be taken next.