METRO WEST DAILY NEWS (Framingham, Massachusetts) 11 November 05 Slithery serpent bagged (Norman Miller)

Framingham: Yesterday was chilly and wet -- not the type of weather red-tailed boa constrictors enjoy.

They are also not endeared to cruising city streets, but a 4-foot-long boa constrictor was found slithering along Bishop Street around 8:30 a.m.

Framingham Animal Control took the sluggish reptile to the Wildlife Clinic at Tufts Cummings Veterinary School in Grafton for treatment.

"The snake was very cold," said spokeswoman Barbara Donato. "Our veterinarians and technicians warmed him up and he is resting comfortably."

Seeing a 4-foot snake could be scary to some, but the serpent was not much of a danger to the public, Donato said.

"They are docile compared to other snakes," said Donato. "They eat rodents. They love rodents, but left on their own, it is a carnivore, and it'll eat small animals. They'll eat kittens, rabbits, chickens."

The snake is not out of the woods yet, Donato said. Boas need to be kept in a steady temperature of around 75 degrees. When the snake was found, the temperature had not even reached 50 degrees.

The snake will be observed for a week or two to make sure it is still healthy and eating regularly, Donato said.

Red-tailed boas can reach maximum lengths of 12 feet and weigh up to 50 pounds, but most are smaller. Males average 6 to 8 feet, while females average 7 to 9 feet.

Finding a loose one is not uncommon, Framingham Police Lt. Vincent Alfano said.

"It occurs from time to time," said Alfano. "Most of the time they are pets that have escaped or have been turned loose deliberately."

Alfano himself had an experience several years ago with a boa constrictor, one which he said was much larger than the snake resting up at Tufts.

He and another officer went to a home on a report of a large snake breaking through a ceiling. Not knowing if the call was credible, the first officer arrived and went inside.

As Alfano pulled up, the other officer ran out of the house, confirming there was a large snake.

"We go in there, and he (the other officer) is behind me with his baton out, and this terrified lady behind him, and I look up at the ceiling, and I saw this huge head," Alfano said. "It looked like it was stuck."

Another officer, who breeds snakes, heard the call on the radio and came to help, Alfano said.

"He told the woman to get a pillow case, and reached up, grabbed its head and pulled it out," said Alfano. "Some of the ceiling tiles came down, and this poor woman, her kitchen looked like a bomb went off."

The fate of yesterday's boa, if it survives, is unknown. Donato said Tufts' Wildlife Clinic's goal is to release animals to the wild, but that is not an option.

"There's no way it can survive on its own in our New England climate," Donato said.

The snake may be returned to Framingham Animal Control. Alfano said the goal is to find either the owner or a new owner.
Slithery serpent bagged

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