Another boa constrictor goes missing in Vancouver Island, prompting warning about exotic pets
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But searchers for the snake had a reliable witness, and cool conditions last week in the area suggested it was unlikely the cold-blooded reptile could have slithered far from where it was seen in Miracle Beach Provincial Park, about 250 kilometres northwest of Victoria.
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'We narrowed down a location where we felt it probably would have been based upon our understanding of the snake, its behaviour, and the location,' said Milne, describing how the snake was found last Thursday.
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'We found it within seconds. I had just grabbed that snake and was pulling it out of the bush.'
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Bizarrely, it's the second search for a boa constrictor on Vancouver Island in the past month, after a 1.8-metre boa named Bailey was reported missing at Tofino's Chesterman Beach in early June. It was found a few days later in the owner's kayak.
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The unusual cases have prompted a warning from Sara Dubois, the British Columbia SPCA's senior director for animal welfare science, who said owning an exotic pet came with special responsibilities.
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She said the Miracle Beach snake might have escaped its owner but there was the 'horrible' possibility that someone might have dumped the animal deliberately.
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Dubois said buyers might not realize a boa constrictor can live 30 years, and they require special vet care and equipment.
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'So, they just might have been an impulse buy, or just decided, 'hey, this is not fun anymore,' and they just decided to dump it,' said Dubois.
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Milne, who served in the Canadian Armed Forces for six years before joining the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, said he wasn't scared catching the boa, but he hoped that searching for snakes on the island 'is not a trend.'
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Boa constrictors are categorized as restricted controlled alien species in B.C., meaning that while ownership doesn't require a permit, release is prohibited under any circumstances. If the snake is longer than three metres, ownership and the movement of the animal require permits.
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