THE PROVENCE (Vancouver, British Columbia) 26 November 04 Have you lost your boa constrictor?: Two-metre snake was found slithering along street in White Rock

Squirrels, raccoons and perhaps even an occasional bunny are not unusual sights in White Rock.

But boa constrictors are rare -- especially boas in the middle of a street on a weekday morning.

A White Rock resident out for a morning stroll early Tuesday came across a two-metre boa constrictor at Best Street and Thrift Avenue.

Police are trying to figure out how the non-poisonous snake came to be slithering along the centre line, and who owns the errant reptile.

The snake was not injured in its ordeal -- which included being apprehended and put into the back of an RCMP cruiser by a "very brave constable," Const. Donna Spyrka said yesterday.

The boa is now in the care of Surrey's Rainforest Reptile Refuse Society and police are asking anyone who knows anything about the whereabouts of the snake's owner to come forward. (The owner of the snake should call the Surrey refuge at 604-538-1711.)

Police aren't releasing a description of the snake, in case someone who doesn't own it claims it, Spyrka said. It is safe to say, however, that it's long and has scales.

Boa constrictors are not indigenous to White Rock. They are generally found in Central and South America where they can live for up to 30 years and average about three metres in length. The cold-blooded boa feeds by seizing its prey in its jaws, coiling its body around the prey and squeezing it until it suffocates. The snakes usually feed on small rodents and birds.

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• BC Press: Have you lost your boa constrictor? - W von Papineäu, Fri Nov 26 06:20:09 2004