Hunt still on for rogue boa constrictor that could threaten kids and pets
A snake catcher has issued a warning after a missing boa constrictor is on the loose in Sydney’s west. The reptile could pose a danger to a small child, cat or dog as authorities rush to locate the snake.
The snake, which is estimated to be 2.5 metres long, was residing on a property on Torumba Circuit in Silverdale yesterday before it made its escape.
The final clue left by the constrictor was freshly-shed snakeskin, found hanging from timber at a construction site inside Cascade Estates.
Sean Cade, a local snake catcher working with the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) to locate the whereabouts of the serpent said the creature could be a credible danger to residents in the area.
“This is a 2.5 metre snake, it’s the thickness of my calf muscle. It is quite a big, heavy robust snake and these guys take down prey four times their size so it’s quite easy to take a full-size cat, a small-size dog, a rabbit, guinea pig – that sort of thing,” he said.
“It depends on what it was fed during captivity, is what it’ll be chasing.
“If it comes across a small child, that’ll be the concern DPI and myself have. We’re just worried it’s going to get into a backyard and potentially a kid might startle it and the snake could lunge out and grab it.”
Mr Cade said that ever since news broke out of the escaped snake, he’s been hit with multiple calls from concerned residents.
“It’s still ongoing, obviously with this reptile on the loose some backyards are in danger of encountering this thing,” he said.
“I had a couple of calls last night about a guy who had a couple of dachshunds, he was worried about his sausage dogs.
“A couple of other people heard noises in their roof, so I had to crawl around their roof space last night looking for this snake.
Boa constrictors are illegal in New South Wales outside of zoos.
The DPI said they were a “serious threat” to wildlife and humans.