Officers called to Victoria apartment to corral boa constrictor on the loose

Victoria police say they are looking for the owner of a large snake found on the loose at a downtown apartment complex. 

Const. Cam MacIntyre says police were called Tuesday night after a resident reported seeing a snake on a ground-floor patio.

He says officers were able to corral the 1.2-metre snake and place it in a cardboard box without incident.

MacIntyre says the snake, believed to be a boa constrictor, was taken to the Victoria Animal Control Services shelter, where it awaits its owner.

This isn’t the Victoria department’s first bout of snake wrangling. Last summer, officers were involved in searches for a ball python that escaped from its owner on two separate occasions. 

The 1.5-metre python was originally found in good health under a car in its first escape, but was found dead on the lawn of a home after a second getaway from its owner’s backpack. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2021.

The Canadian Press