Power Outage Helps Snake Escape

[CharlieJ]

Power Outage Helps Snake Escape
Neighbors didn't know about snake - until now
WJRT By Terry Camp


KOCHVILLE TOWNSHIP (WJRT) - (07/28/06)-- Today's power outage in Saginaw County also allowed an escape of sorts. A pet boa constrictor was on the loose for awhile, before it was struck by a vehicle.
The snake is alive, but now that some neighbors know it's there, the boa's future is up in the air.

Boa constrictors are native to Central and South America, but people have them for exotic pets. That doesn't sit well with everyone, especially when they get loose. The boa constrictor is usually in a tank in a home at a Kochville Township mobile home park. But with power out, the alarm on the tank that would normally tell the owner that the snake escaped wasn't working. The boa slithered out of the tank and onto the road.

Dorine Gibbon says her husband saw it. "He thought it was fake. It was on the side of the road on Kochville, and then he stopped the car, and looked again, and saw it was for real."

The boa returned home, but it appears it had been hit by a vehicle. The owner didn't want to talk about the incident and the snake, but his neighbor, Nick Apsey, says it's a nice family pet. "Boa Constrictors can be dangerous, but they are not, they are actually a family animal, reptile," Apsey said.

Boa constrictors grow to about thirteen feet. This one is about eight-feet long. Constrictors are non-poisonous, but they can bite. They grab their prey in their jaws, then wrap their bodies around and squeeze until suffocation.

That's enough for Dorine Gibbon. She wants the owner to get rid of it. "The little children walking - it's a shame. And if that ever got out and wrapped around a child." The owner has children of his own, as does his neighbor. "Very friendly going, just like a dog would be," Apsey said. "He got out before. What if he did get around someone and then it's too late? If it takes its life, if it's a pet or not, it's too big for in the park," Gibbon said.

Our Terry Camp did talk to the managers of the mobile home park, who were surprised to find out there was on a boa constrictor on the property. They say they will look into changing the pet rules for people who live there.


CharlieJ's NOTE: Ignorance is rampant in this article... and the people involved.

[SnakeCollector]

that sucks for the snake and owner,i would be moving i guess,dont they know that dogs can kill too

[Freakkboy]

Sad... thats all I have to say about the people in this story...... "Good grief", to quote a well known cartoon character.
But you have to wonder how the Boa got out of the home?????

[SnakeCollector]

probaly a window without a screen on it,they probaly had the windows open cause the power was out

[Freakkboy]

true, true.....

[Finghin]

how often did the boa get out that they needed an alarm for it??

[deadliestformula]

what's this about a tank alarm? Why haven't I heard of this before? I must be living under a rock or something.

On another note -- where are these people buying these these boas that grow on average 13 ft? I know that they can get that big but you just don't see it all that often. At least I don't. I see 8 ft or so for the bigger ones that I run across. It seems to me that most people just don't have a 13 ft boa. Just an opinion.

[SnakeCollector]

Originally Posted by deadliestformula

what's this about a tank alarm? Why haven't I heard of this before? I must be living under a rock or something.
On another note -- where are these people buying these these boas that grow on average 13 ft? I know that they can get that big but you just don't see it all that often. At least I don't. I see 8 ft or so for the bigger ones that I run across. It seems to me that most people just don't have a 13 ft boa. Just an opinion.

i agree

[VoodooChile]

That article WAS full of ignorance...
Shame on the snake owners:
An alarm is NOT enough to keep a snake in a tank or a cage..A LOCK would be sufficient, or perhaps a weight on the lid..I mean, good grief!!!!!!!!!
Hasp locks are available at the Lowes hardware stores for approx $1-$2.
Very easy to install, even on glass..you can use rearview mirror adhesive, or window sealant.
Bad on the owner's part
Did the snake go to the vet?? Doubtful. What is UP with these people and their complete disregard for vet care??
*Shame on the mobile home park owners
They should be ashamed...Cats and Dogs are let loose by renters/home owners alike to breed unwanted kittens and puppies that FLOOD animal shelters nation wide. Its not right to discriminate against a SNAKE or any other reptile. Dogs get out all the time and kids get bitten.
*The woman who commented negatively about snakes probably has 5 cats or dogs, none of them spayed or neutered..Yet she wants to bash the snake's owner.

Stupidity IS often painful, unfortunately NOT to the human beings who are exhibiting it; but to the innocents around them.

[wisherp]

sucks for the snake to be put in a bad situation with a owner who doesnt know how to keep snakes safe. Also for the stupid media once again putting fear in people. They love doing that.

[wisherp]

oh yeah here is the news guys email if anyone is interested terry.r.camp@abc.com