Couple told to ‘get an exorcist’ after finding unsettling creature in garden

Britt Whitmarsh said her grandparents found the strange-looking creature in their garden in Haslington, Cheshire, and she shared an image of it online – but now people are scared for them

A couple have been told to ‘get an exorcist’ and to move out after an unsettling creature was found in their garden.

Britt Whitmarsh was on a FaceTime call with her grandparents when they showed her the strange-looking creature they had discovered.

She said it looked like a dried-up snake, but it was still alive and continued to move, so she turned to the internet for answers, as Cheshire Live reports.

Some said Britt’s grandparents should burn the garden down, and others say they should call in a priest, as everyone agreed it was “horrible, whatever it is”.

What do you think about the strange creature? Let us know in the comments

Britt said: “Truthfully I thought it was an old dried up snake until it started moving.

“My grandparents spotted it this morning. My nan goes out every morning to de-head any died off flowers and pick up and petals or leaves that have fallen off.”

After an image of the creature was shared on Facebook, internet users began speculating about what it could be.

One person said: “Get an exorcist.”

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While a second person had more advice, adding: “Yeah, basically burn the garden down to its roots … or, move house.”

However, other people knew what the creature was and said it was an Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillar.

Animal and Plant Director at Chester Zoo, Mike Jordan also confirmed the insect was an Elephant Hawkmoth and when it is disturbed, it inflates the segments behind the head to mimic a snake to scare off predators.

He said: “This is a Large Elephant Hawkmoth (Deilephila elpenor).

“The caterpillar feeds on willowherb, but also fuchsias so is quite often seen in gardens. When disturbed, it inflates the segments behind the head to mimic a snake.”

When the caterpillar changes to the moth, it is mainly golden-olive with bright pink bars on the wings and body.

The similar Small Elephant Hawkmoth is smaller, yellower and less common and it is found in short grassland.

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