From the 'how rumours get started' file ...
EDMONTON SUN (Alberta) 28 September 05 Banff Boa Found (Quintin Winks)
Banff: Banff residents can rest easy following recent reports a large snake might be slithering around loose in the community.
A two-metre boa constrictor skin, which initially sparked the reports when it was found in a vacant lot on Sept. 14, actually belongs to Crush, a common red tail boa, said Aaron Lavoie, the snake's owner.
Crush sheds her skin two to three times a year and the last time she did, Lavoie gave the skin to his friend Corson Hayes while the pair were drinking at a local bar.
"He was all drunk one night, we were partying, and I just happened to bring in the snake skin and gave it to him. And I guess he lost it somewhere," said Lavoie.
Hayes said he left the bar with the snakeskin and headed for home. "I was walking home with it and then I was like, 'Why am I taking this home, this is ridiculous,' " he said. When that fascination turned to disgust for the reptile skin, Hayes left it on the corner of the vacant lot, thinking it would rot away.
Shane Reid subsequently found the snake skin in the bushes. A week later, news reports surfaced of the potential of a boa constrictor possibly slithering loose in Banff.
Banff Boa Found
