WILDLIFE LOVER SUSPECTED TO HAVE BEEN KILLED BY PET PYTHON

LATE DAN'S BODY SEEN LYING NEXT TO THE PYTHON ABOVE

A wildlife lover found dead at his home may have been killed by his pet snake, it is feared.

Police said Dan Brandon, 31, was found unresponsive in his room with one of his pythons out of its cage nearby.

Dan is said to have suffered "serious injuries".

The death in Church Crookham, Hampshire, is being treated as non-suspicious but one line of inquiry is that the pet snake was involved.

Pythons have killed humans before, but it is believed it would be the first time it has happened in Britain.

And experts say it is unlikely as pythons generally only kill what they want to eat.

Dan's social media profile was filled with pictures of him enjoying the company of his snakes.

Several images feature a large Burmese python wrapped around Dan's body and neck.

One friend commented: "You're mental!"

"You do love a snake!" another added.

In another photo, Dan is lying on the floor face to face with the reptile.

It is one of the largest species of snake in the world, growing to 12ft in length on average.

A source told The Sun last night: "It is under investigation whether the snake was involved."

"The death is in an investigation stage between natural causes and an inquest.

"Investigators are waiting for the full toxicology results and reports to come back from a post-mortem.

"Depending on the results, an inquest may be opened."

In March this year, a man's body was found in the belly of a giant python in Indonesia.

And in 2013, a security guard was killed by a python in Burma who was trying to remove it from the area.

Friends of Dan set up a JustGiving page to raise money for the Worldwide Fund for Nature in his honour.

"He was obsessed with snakes, spiders, birds and all wildlife," the page said.

"We will all miss you so much."