VANCOUVER SUN (British Columbia) 16 June 05 Big snake on the loose causes stir in New West (Jennifer Miller)
New Westminster: Police in New Westminster are warning people to watch out for a big snake -- described as having a head the size of a fist -- spotted Wednesday in various locations around an apartment building at 320 9th Street.
Police don't know what kind of snake it is -- they say it could be a boa constrictor or a king cobra -- or how big it is, but they do know anyone who spots it should call them instead of trying to catch it.
"The big thing is for people not to try to handle the snake," said staff Sgt. Casey Dehaas of the New Westminster police service.
The snake was first spotted crawling around on the grounds outside the apartment building just after midnight on Wednesday. It was seen again at 2:30 a.m. crawling over a patio wall.
Later Wednesday, it was spotted going into a heating vent in the building. "These types of snakes, they like the warmth, and that's why it probably went into the heating vent," said Dehaas, adding it will likely come out to find food once it gets hungry.
New Westminster animal control searched for the snake throughout the day and consulted a snake specialist in Surrey who agreed to come out and deal with it when it is found.
Police are trying to figure out what type of snake it is. One person said it had a flat head and it "reared up backwards like a king cobra does," said Dehaas.