Your Victoria Times Colonist
Snakes Alive!
Saanich family's pet boa constrictor goes on the lam
Rob Shaw, Times Colonist
Published: Thursday, July 26, 2007

A two-metre-long boa constrictor is likely slithering through the treetops of a Saanich neighbourhood after someone left the door of its room open in a nearby house.

The orange-brown snake isn't a danger to humans or their pets because it's only big enough to eat rats and mice, insists owner Gary Miller.

The snake's name is Francine.

It appears Francine made a break for freedom when it noticed the door to its room was left unsecured around 4 p.m. Tuesday, said Miller. The snake usually stays in an aquarium tank but is sometimes allowed to wander freely.

"We don't know if the door was left ajar by me or one of the three grandchildren," said Miller, 50. "But lo and behold, the door was open and the snake was gone."

Miller said he immediately called police and pet experts. He also alerted his neighbours on Raymond Street South near Fermoy Place in the Marigold neighbourhood.

The consensus is Francine took to the tall cedar trees on either side of Miller's house, where it is now resting and digesting its last meal, said Miller.

Francine won't need food for another two weeks, he said.

Nonetheless, Saanich police issued a public advisory.

"It's a unique animal and we don't want somebody freaking out," said Sgt. John Price. "Although, I'd freak out if the thing fell on me from a tree. My response would embarrass my children, for sure. I've just watched too many horror movies."

Miller had to take yesterday off work due to the media attention surrounding his missing pet.

He said he's surprised some people consider Francine dangerous. The Colombian boa constrictor plays with his grandchildren, he said, and he'd also be surprised if it ate anything alive, because the only food it has ever been fed are frozen rats.

Miller bought the snake for $199 three years ago, and called it the fulfilment of a childhood dream to own such a pet.

He hopes it can be found in good health. "I'm definitely attached to it," he said. "Although my wife is quite happy to have it gone. But I'm feeling a bit of a hole. I would always sneak it upstairs when my wife wasn't home and play with it."

Anyone who sees the snake is asked to call Saanich police at 475-4321.