Search for another Vancouver Island boa constrictor prompts warning about exotic pets

Inspector Drew Milne of the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service likened it to finding a needle in a haystack — the haystack being a 137-hectare park on Vancouver Island, and the needle being a 1.5-metre-long boa constrictor.

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.

"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.

"We found it within seconds. I had just grabbed that snake and was pulling it out of the bush."

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.

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.

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.

"The snake doesn't deserve that, and these animals should never be pets," said Dubois, adding that it's hard to rehome them and the SPCA does not recommend exotic snakes as pets.

"They're wild animals in other countries, so to breed them in captivity and sell them, as this special kind of unique pet, unfortunately, doesn't always end very well."

Dubois said buyers might not realize a boa constrictor can live 30 years, and they require special vet care and equipment.

"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. 

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."

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.

Milne, who is in charge of the West Coast region at the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, said officers are investigating whether the Miracle Beach animal was dumped or got loose accidentally before it was spotted by someone staying at the park's campground on June 25.

"The individual is quite educated in the field of biology, and realized that that's not a normal species that should be found on Vancouver Island or in a provincial park," Milne said.

Park staff and conservation officers temporarily closed the park the next day and turned visitors away to conduct a "hasty search." 

Once located, the boa was put in a crate and taken to Comox Valley SPCA.

The reptile is now up for adoption after no one came forward to claim it. It will require a "very unique, special" owner to adopt it, said Dubois

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - British Columbia Conservation Officer Service