Dad's shock after children find boa constrictor in garden - via Richard Muirhead

23 April 2019

Image copyrightBRUCE BAKER

A father has spoken of his shock after his children found a seven-foot boa constrictor in their garden.

Bruce Baker thought the youngsters were playing a prank when they told him to come and see the 2.1m-long snake.

He and a neighbour had to coax the boa constrictor into a plastic box until the Scottish SPCA arrived at his home in the Scottish Borders.

Efforts are continuing to try and trace the owner of the stray snake, which was captured in Innerleithen on Sunday.

The boa constrictor, which is thought to be an escaped pet, has been taken to the Scottish SPCA rehoming centre in Edinburgh.

Continued

Boa constrictor on the loose in Lincolnshire

Police have warned people not to approach the snake, which escaped from its owner’s home in Boston

Press Association

Thu 29 Nov 2018 06.27 GMTLast modified on Fri 30 Nov 2018 00.35 GMT

A boa constrictor has been reported missing from a house in Lincolnshire.

Police have warned the public not to approach the snake, which has a white tail and grey, black and brown spots.

It was reported missing from its owner’s house in Union Street in Boston at about 7pm on Wednesday.

The snake is not venomous but boa constrictors attack prey with their teeth and then constrict it until they die.

Lincolnshire police have warned that it is likely to find somewhere warm, so could be in an area such as a garden shed. They have instructed anyone who sees the snake to call 999 quoting incident 361.

Source  

Headless boa constrictor is second snake found dumped in park in a week

15:04, 19 NOV 2015 UPDATED 15:46, 19 NOV 2015

BY ADAM GILLHAM

The RSPCA is investigating the incident and has warned people to be aware of the amount of care exotic animals need before buying them as pets

An investigation has been launched after the body of a headless snake was foundjust days after a 6ft boa constrictor was rescued from the same public park .

The decapitated snake was discovered in the park just over a week after the boa constrictor was found by two dog walkers in the same area.

Dad-of-two Ian Willey and his sons, Calum, 12, and Evan, eight, made the discovery in Danson Park in Welling, Kent.

The family spotted the four-foot long dead reptile just yards from the children’s play area before reporting it to park rangers on Sunday.

The RSPCA says it is “extremely concerned” about the second snake, which is believed to be another boa constrictor.

Continued ...

Six-foot boa constrictor found in London park

Animal welfare workers believe the giant snake was dumped by owners who were unable to take care of the exotic creature

By Agency

11:36PM GMT 10 Nov 2015

Animal rescuers are appealing for information after a giant six-foot snakewas found slithering through a London park.

The huge reptile was found in Danson Park, south east London, on Friday afternoon, just yards from a childrens play area.

The boa constrictor, which could easily kill and eat a cat, was taken from the Bexleyheath park in south east London to the RSPCA reptile centre for specialist care.

RSPCA inspector Anthony Pulfer said: "It was lucky this poor Boa constrictor was found because it is far too cold for him to be outside.

"When I picked him up he was very cold and lethargic.

Read on …

Myth Debunked: Boa Constrictors Don't Suffocate Prey to Death

by Laura Geggel, Staff Writer | July 22, 2015 06:16pm ET

Boa constrictors are notorious for their deadly grip, squeezing their next meal until it expires. But scientists have long wondered whether this fatal hug kills prey by suffocation or by obstructing blood flow in the snake's victims.

Now, a new study finds that rats attacked by boas don't die from a lack of air. Instead, the boa's tight coils block the rat's blood flow, leading to circulatory arrest. That deadly grip helps to more quickly subdue rats and other prey that might be clawing back, allowing the snake to quickly end the struggle and preserve its energy, the researchers said.

"This is such an efficient behavior, and it allows us to realize that this behavior was really important in snake evolution," said lead researcher Scott Boback, an associate professor of biology at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. "[Constriction] is extremely efficient at killing their prey and allowing them to be successful." 

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Boa constrictor on the loose after Gold Coast police mistakenly set it free

Biosecurity Queensland sets snake catchers on trail of two-metre reptile released after officers captured it in Surfers Paradise but thought it was a harmless python

Australian Associated Press

Monday 6 April 2015 23.02 BSTLast modified on Tuesday 7 April 201506.12 BST

A bizarre search has unfolded on the Gold Coast after a South American boa constrictor was released by police who wrongly believed it was a harmless python.

Police say officers were called to the Esplanade at Surfers Paradise on or about 26 March in response to reports of a large snake spotted on a footpath, at the base of a tree.

The officers released the reptile into bushland at the Southport Spit. Their action has sparked an operation by Biosecurity Queensland officers, who said the snake was not a harmless python after all. It has been identified as a two-metre South American boa constrictor, a large predatory snake that could pose a threat to other reptiles and even domestic pets.

“These snakes could wipe out entire species of reptiles and they have been known to eat cats and dogs,” a Gold Coast snake catcher, Tony Harrison, told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

“We have been told to capture it so the state government can euthanise it. It makes me really angry that people import these snakes as pets and release them when they get too big. They carry heaps of diseases.”

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Boa Constrictor Seen Eating Howler Monkey in a First

If a snake eats a monkey in the forest and no one sees it, does it make a difference? New evidence suggests that it does.

For the first time, scientists have witnessed a boa constrictor attacking and eating a howler monkey. The finding is noteworthy since reports of primates being eaten by predators are relatively rare, according to the study, published this month in the journal Primates.

"This may cause us to rethink how vulnerable [these] primates are to predation," said Paul Garber, a primatologist at the University of Illinois, who wasn't involved in the study.

Vulnerable to predators

Predation does happen to primates and monkeys, particularly by snakes, large raptors and big cats — but it has not been witnessed very often, Garber told LiveScience. That's due in part to the fact that primates live in groups, wherein each member looks out for threats, providing "coordinated predator detection," he said. Primates also generally have good vision that enables them to spot would-be attackers. It's also possible that the presence of scientists watching primates helps drive predators away, he added.

Read on

The Story of Larry the Snake

In 2009, Taryn Hook brought Larry, a Dumerils boa constrictor, a species native to Madagascar, to see Chris Sanders at his veterinary hospital in Portola Valley, Calif.

Larry was ill. Again. And this time Hook feared the worst. The snake had been sickly since she first got him in the late 1990s, when he was the size of a pencil.

"He's a member of the family," Hook said. "He even sits on the couch with us. He watches American Idol." (Hook's husband is also named Larry, although snake Larry has been in her life longer than human Larry.)

Blood tests had been inconclusive, but they showed that Larry might have IBD, an affliction that affects pythons and boa constrictors. Biopsies from animals with the disease show their cells filled up with globules of proteins — inclusions — which cause a host of weird symptoms, from projectile vomiting to an eerie behavior called stargazing.

YouTube videos shot by worried pet owners, some tender, some bizarre, show snakes of all sizes raising their heads over and over, staring into thin air, and listing drunkenly from side to side. "They kind of go crazy," one scientist said.

Continued:  http://www.livescience.com/22343-snake-larry-ibd-virus.html

'Banana' in the bathroom turned out to be boa constrictor

A woman was left shocked when she discovered that what she thought was a banana in her bathroom was actually a 4ft long boa constrictor.

Stacey Way, 28, was cleaning the bathroom floor when she noticed a yellow object next to the water pipe.

She assumed it was a banana her toddler had shoved down the side, and went to fetch her gloves to pick it up, but forgot about it.

A few days later she was bathing her two daughters and wiped the floor again when she suddenly saw the object move.

On closer inspection, she realised that the 'banana' actually had a mouth - and that it was a snake.

Horrified, she took the children, aged two and four, out of the bath, and called a friend who arrived with a box.

The pair went to a nearby reptile centre to ask for help but they were forced to call the RSPCA, who told them the floorboards would need to be removed to rescue the beast.

But as the property was rented, the officer advised her to leave a tub full of water on the bathroom floor to entice the snake out.

When Stacey checked a few hours later the creature had fully emerged and the reptile centre were able to collect it from her home in Parkstone, Dorset.


Continued: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9450062/Banana-in-the-bathroom-turned-out-to-be-boa-constrictor.html

A potentially deadly snake is on the loose after evading a police helicopter which was scrambled to track it down. Residents are on the lookout for a 4ft long constrictor which has been spotted slithering along pavements in Plymouth, Devon.

A potentially deadly snake is on the loose after evading a police helicopter which was scrambled to track it down.
Residents are on the lookout for a 4ft long constrictor which has been spotted slithering along pavements in Plymouth, Devon.


The reptile was briefly captured by three people who trapped it in a bin - but it is so strong it forced its way out and vanished up a drainpipe.

A police helicopter was even diverted to scour the area on Saturday but the snake - nicknamed 'Hissing Sid' by locals - is still at large.

Therapist Barnard Brotherton, 53, was one of three residents who captured the creature in a knee-high swing bin last Thursday before it gave them the slip.

He said: "It seemed like the sensible thing to do but it was so strong it would wrap itself around the rim of the lid and squeeze itself through thee top like toothpaste.

"We got it in about three times but even with six hands pushing down on the lid it was too powerful.

"It was getting angry so we backed off, and at that point it decided to pop up the drainpipe."


Continued:  http://uk.news.yahoo.com/alarm-as-deadly-snake-hissing-sid-slithers-free-in-plymouth.html

Huge snake found in engine during MOT

A British mechanic got the shock of his life during a routine inspection - he lifted the bonnet of a customer's car and found a five-foot long boa constrictor nestling underneath.

The five-inch thick snake was curled up in a space in the engine bay of a blue MINI Cooper. The car was about to undergo an MOT test at Carringtons of Oxford.

Mechanic Wayne Hunt, said: "We immediately called the RSPCA to collect the snake, since it didn't belong to the customer and we had no idea who owned it.

"We also wanted to make sure we didn't harm the reptile in removing it, as we're more used to working on brakes than snakes!"

According to the RSPCA the snake looked thinner than a normal sized boa constrictor, which suggests that it had been nestled under the bonnet for a while.

It's thought to be the first incident of its kind in the UK, and no-one knows where the snake came from.

Mark Nichol

Boa Constrictor: Not an Enthusiastic Camping Buddy

ADDISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A man has discovered that a boa constrictoris not a willing camping companion after his 5-foot-long pet escapedas they vacationed in southeast Michigan.
The man alerted officials that the snake slithered out of his pop-up camper June 9 at Addison Oaks County Park.

Oakland County Parks and Recreation executive officer Dan Stenciltells the Oakland Press of Pontiac that the snake is young and doesn't pose a threat to humans - "just small animals and so on."

Stencil says the man has been cited for violating park rules.

Stencil says the snake might have slithered into a crevice in the camper, but that herpetologists are scouring the 1,140-acre park 30miles north of Detroit in hopes of finding it before crowds descend for a fireworks display July 1.
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/

Snake missing for a month found on Boston subway

Associated Press
Posted: 02/04/2011 09:01:49 AM PST
Updated: 02/04/2011 09:01:50 AM PST

BOSTON -- Transit officials say a 3-foot-long boa constrictor that slithered away from its owner on a Boston subway car a month ago was found on an adjoining car Thursday.

A commuter spotted Penelope the snake and alerted a train attendant at a Red Line station. Transit authority officials took the train out of service to search it. Finally at 8:30 p.m., train attendant Sharon Lynch -- a snake owner herself -- caught the snake.

Penelope's owner, 30-year-old Melissa Moorhouse of Allston, had traveled around with the snake around her neck and lost it between two stations Jan. 6. She's thrilled to have her pet back, and says she'll pay more attention the next time she takes Penelope out in public.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/weird-news/ci_17293859?nclick_check=1

Guinea pig saved from escaped snake

27 August 2010

An escaped snake has been caught just moments before it was about to eat a pet guinea pig.

Diego the boa constrictor escaped from his enclosure at his owner Aaron Waymont's house almost a month ago sparking a neighbourhood-wide search in Wickford, Essex, England.

After Diego made his escape police warned local residents to watch out for the killer reptile - which weighs around 63lbs and is capable of eating a small pet or even a baby.

Aaron was relieved to find the serpent in his own garden just as Diego was about to devour one of his beloved guinea pigs and has now promised to keep him under lock and key.

Aaron said: "I knew he'd still be around here. Everyone can relax now. I've ordered a bigger vivarium with reinforced glass and two locks on it. There's no way he's going anywhere again."

http://entertainment.stv.tv/showbiz/194340-guinea-pig-saved-from-escaped-snake/

Mystery boa constrictor left on woman's doorstep

Tom Phillips - 27th August, 2010

A woman was left puzzled after a mystery caller knocked on her door in the early hours of the morning and left behind a four-foot long snake on her doorstep.

The homeowner said that a young woman knocked on her door in Cricklewood, north London, in the early hours of Thursday morning. When she answered the door, the woman asked for 'Andrew' before walking off, leaving a pillow case on the doorstep.

Confused, the homeowner spotted that the pillow case appeared to be moving. Looking inside, she discovered that it contained a four-foot-long South American boa.

At that point, she quite sensibly decided to call the police.

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said that the snake, which officers have nicknamed Kojak, is 'friendly', is in good condition, and appeared to have been handled before.

Officers kept the snake in an office at Colindale police station for several hours before it was taken to London Zoo.

The spokeswoman added: 'If you are the owner of the boa and wish to be re-united with your pet, or have information about where he has come from please call police on 0300 123 1212.

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/839294-mystery-boa-constrictor-left-on-womans-doorstep

Hunt on for 6ft boa constrictor

A 6ft boa constrictor is on the loose after slithering out of a bathroom window.

The pet snake, which is "as thick as a baseball bat", but not fully grown, escaped from a property in Barnfield, Wickford, Essex, on Friday.

Police described the animal, named Diego, as "potentially dangerous" but stressed it would only feed on small animals.

The force said its wildlife liaison officer is speaking with specialists and the RSPCA.

People were warned not to approach the snake but to alert police.

Specialist search officers combed the immediate area after being alerted and told people living nearby to be on their guard.

A spokesman said: "Essex Police cannot rule out a risk to the public, however our understanding is that this snake will only feed on small animals. Police have consulted with the chair of the Essex Reptiles and Amphibians Club who agrees that is it unlikely to be a threat to the public."

Diego's owner and reptile specialist Aaron Waymont, 22, said: "I'm expecting to see him appear any day soon because he'll be hungry.

"I've kept a lot of animals in my time, but I've never had one go missing before. He broke his glass and found his way out.

"I think he is going to be up in trees as they provide security. I'm very worried for Diego and for the public as well. I'm going out three times a day to look for him."

http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=154293424&ocid=today

Search for 6ft boa on the loose in Wickford, Essex

A 6ft (1.8m) long pet boa constrictor is on the loose after escaping through a bathroom window in Essex.

Police started the for the snake, called Diego, on Friday after its owner realised it was missing from his home in Barnfield, Wickford.

Diego slithered out of the bathroom window. Officers said the snake was not fully grown but members of the public were warned not approach it.

An Essex Police spokesperson said it could be a danger to small animals.

Anyone who spots the snake has been asked to call 999.

Neighbours have been sent leaflets warning that it could be in their gardens and urged to keep children and pets indoors.

Essex Police's wildlife liaison officer is speaking with specialists and the RSPCA.

It is possible the breeding season could have encouraged the boa constrictor to go out hunting and it may have travelled out of town.

Boa constrictors are commonly found in tropical forests in South America and are from the family of constricting snakes, which kill their prey through asphyxiation.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-10826439