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Anyone missing anything big, yellow and scaly?

Police post public plea after large snake spotted slithering around Saanich
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Wikipedia Commons photo

Anyone misplace their serpent?

A snake described as “large, pale [and] yellow” is apparently slithering around Saanich in the vicinity of the 3200 block of Lindwood Avenue.

Sgt. Julie Fast said a resident describing such an animal contacted Saanich Police Tuesday, March 19 to report it.

Fast said the resident spotted the animal around his property around Christmas time. It has since appeared a few times then, she said, adding each sighting has been either late at night or in the very early morning hours when it is still dark out.

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“Based on the description of the snake, it is possibly an exotic species that had been kept as a pet,” she said. “It may have been intentionally released by its owner who no longer wanted it or it may have inadvertently escaped, although we have had no reports of a missing snake.”

The BC Wildlife Act regulates which animals qualify as Controlled Alien Species, and it requires anyone wanting to possess one of these species to obtain a permit first, said Fast.

Some species of snakes are on this list and Saanich Pound has contacted the BC Fish and Wildlife Branch to inquire whether anyone in that area holds such a permit, said Fast.

“As of today, we have received no other reports from anyone seeing this snake nor have we or the Saanich Pound be able to locate it,” she said. “If you do see it, please call [Saanich Police]. And if it is safe to do so, take a picture of it and keep it in sight until police arrive.”


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wolfgang.depner@saanichnews.com



Wolf Depner

About the Author: Wolf Depner

I joined the national team with Black Press Media in 2023 from the Peninsula News Review, where I had reported on Vancouver Island's Saanich Peninsula since 2019.
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