Twice-escaped python found dead near Victoria

A python that twice escaped from its owner in the Victoria area has not survived its second bid for freedom.

Saanich police say the snake, which was nearly 1.5 metres long, was found Sunday on the lawn of a home.

A police statement says the ball python had been dead for some time.

Police say its owner was contacted and he confirmed the remains were those of the non-venomous snake that slipped out of his backpack as he slept on Aug. 19.

Seven days earlier, it was found under a car near downtown Victoria, several kilometres from where it was reported missing on Aug. 4.

The snake was checked by a veterinarian when it was recaptured last month and was returned to its owner, reportedly in good health.

Ball pythons, sometimes called royal pythons, are the smallest of the non-venomous constrictor pythons found in Africa.