Leaving an exotic snake that was once a pet on a roadway or in the forest to fend for itself is no different than dumping a puppy or a kitten.
Leaving an exotic snake that was once a pet on a roadway or in the forest to fend for itself is no different than dumping a puppy or a kitten.
That’s the message Dean Harper, owner of Olds’ Wrappin About Reptiles, wants people to consider after he received a 1.5-metre-long boa constrictor that was run over on a road northwest of Olds on May 17 and eventually died of its injuries.
"What if the story was about a dog, a cat, even a horse?" he said. "We would be angry with the owner."
Harper, who through the Wrappin About Reptiles program educates the public about animals such as snakes, turtles and crocodiles, said he believes the snake was mistreated by its owner or owners and was dropped off on the road when no one wanted to care for it anymore.
He said a family out for a walk had come across the snake, which was "very aggressive."
The family left to retrieve gloves and a box to capture the snake and during that time, a vehicle came down the road and ran over the snake.
Although the snake was still alive after the vehicle struck it and the family was able to capture it with the intent of bringing it to Harper, who they knew could care for it, the snake died from its injuries.
Harper said it’s likely the snake was abandoned at the side of the road, as opposed to escaping from a home, based on signs of abuse.
It is legal to own boa constrictors in Alberta.
When interviewed by the Olds Albertan on May 18, Harper pointed out what he described as lesions and burn marks on the snake—marks he said were "old wounds" and not from the vehicle which struck the animal—and other indications the snake had been "kept poorly" such as multiple layers of dead skin still clinging to the animal.
Harper said he also believes the snake was dumped the day it was discovered as it would not have survived long during the Central Alberta spring.
"The cool, the raininess; this snake would have been dead."
He added he’s aware of "tons of cases" that are similar in nature where exotic animals such as snakes and lizards are "not fed properly, not kept properly."
Harper said he once received a snake that had its back broken in seven places after it was given to a child who held it by its tail and swung it around.
"I see a lot of the bad," he said.
After receiving the boa constrictor, he contacted the Alberta SPCA to let it know about what happened and although he’s certain no one will be charged, Harper hopes someone might read this story and know who was responsible for the snake.
"If anybody reading this knows something about this, you can contact the SPCA anonymously or you can call me," he said. "There were so many options for this animal, for this person, before it got to this state."
Roland Lines, a spokesman for the SPCA, said the organization has not opened an investigation because it does not know who the owner of the snake is.
"We only have authority to investigate owners of animals," he said. "We don’t know how the animal ended up outside. Possibly, it escaped. Certainly, if it was dumped, that’s something very bad to do to any animal."
He added unless an animal dumping is witnessed, it would be difficult for the SPCA to locate the owner.
Although it’s unknown if the boa constrictor was dumped, Lines suggested that if a person has a reptile as a pet that they’re unwilling or unable to care for, there are rescue groups, such as Alberta Reptile Rescue located in Sylvan Lake and the Alberta Reptile and Amphibian Society, based out of Calgary, that will take a reptile in and find a new home for the animal.
He said it’s "very rare" for the SPCA to receives calls about reptiles and added in the last three years, the organization has only received a "handful" of complaints and those were situations where people expressed concerns about the conditions of reptiles in pet stores.
Disposing of the snake would be Harper’s responsibility, Lines added.
Dr. Kelsey Shacker, a veterinarian at Olds’ Chinook Country Veterinary Clinic said she has never heard of someone dumping a reptile in the area before.
"I think most people who are buying the exotics are going to try to either take them back to pet stores or else try to re-home them," she said.
In order to prevent cases where people buy an exotic animal such as a snake, large spider or lizard as a pet and then realize caring for the animal is beyond their abilities or desires, Shacker said consumers need to do extensive research on the animals they intend to purchase and resist the urge to buy an animal on a "whim."
"Just because you look at this tiny little snake and it’s only a foot big and you think you can keep it in your 10, 20-gallon tank, do your research to know how big it’s going to get, what type of diet it’s going to need," she said, adding some reptiles are more prone to certain diseases and so speaking with a veterinarian or a specialist at a pet store beforehand is also a good idea.
And, Shacker added, people should look at how much it will cost to take care of a reptile over a year while considering dietary needs and enclosure prices.
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