In a change from the usual cats and dogs, animal welfare officers have been playing host to two large snakes.
The past month has seen Victoria Animal Control Services looking after a red-tailed Colombian boa constrictor and a corn snake, both of which were found by residents.
“Every year we get some snakes, but this has been a bit of a learning experience for us,” said Ian Fraser, senior animal control officer.
The first discovery happened when a man was throwing a ball for his dog at Oaklands Elementary School. The dog started acting oddly. “It was going crazy and barking and running in circles,” Fraser said.
When the dog owner went to see what the fuss was about, he saw a two-metre snake on the ground.
With great presence of mind, he ran home, grabbed a pillowcase and stuffed the snake in the pillowcase.
“He showed up at the pound with a pillow case which had about 30 pounds of snake in it,” Fraser said.
“It was a good thing that he found it and not a six or seven year old.”
Boa constrictors wrap themselves around prey and squeeze animals to death before eating them, but are not poisonous.
It is unlikely the snake would have chosen to squeeze anything too large for it to swallow, Fraser said. “And it is extremely friendly,” he said.
The snake was just under the size for which an Environment Ministry permit would be needed and no trace could be found of its owner, Fraser said.
So the boa constrictor was sent to Van-Island Amphibian and Reptile Rescue in the Cowichan Valley.
“As it’s so friendly, the intention of the group is to use it for educational purposes,” Fraser said.
No sooner had the boa constrictor departed than a call came in from a homeowner in the Burnside area.
“A gentleman came home and there was a four-foot corn snake in his kitchen. He had no knowledge of how the snake came to be in his kitchen,” Fraser said. The snake was scooped up by animal control staff.
Corn snakes also subdue prey by constricting and are not poisonous.
“This one is quite cute,” Fraser said. Again, searches for its owner have been fruitless and the corn snake is up for adoption.