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Aggressive boa constrictor captured in Fall River home

E-mail|Link|Comments () October 9, 2009 04:20 PM

Photo/Animal Instincts

Robert Schenck, owner of Animal Instincts, with the 5-foot-long, 15-pound boa.

By Jack Nicas, Globe Correspondent

A Fall River landlord has finally evicted his most unwelcome tenant.

After five days of rooftop sunbathing, a 5-foot-long, 15-pound boa constrictor was trapped Thursday night in an attic of a six-family dwelling. It was unclear who owned the snake or whether it escaped or was abandoned.

“It actually slithered its way into a homemade trap,” said Robert Schenck, owner of Animal Instincts, a local pet store that captured the 2-year-old snake and has taken it in. He said the trap was a rabbit fur-filled cardboard box with a hole carved out.

“It’s a pretty makeshift thing. It’s actually amazing it went in,” he said.

The boa was first spotted Sunday, stretched out on the edge of an East Main Street roof, neighbors said.

“It would come out in the sun, just sunbathing,” said Zelda Pavao, owner of Brickhouse Café next door. “And it would go get some water when it was raining.”

On Wednesday, two volunteers from the Animal Rescue League of Boston attempted to capture the snake, but to no avail. “Basically it disappeared,” said Jennifer Wooliscroft, spokeswoman for the rescue league.

Later that night, the city animal control officer set the cardboard trap in the attic. The snake was found coiled inside this morning, according to Schenck, who picked the reptile up at about noon.

“His temperament is definitely on the aggressive side,” Schenck said. “He’s in survival mode. They become aggressive when they have to fend for their life.”

Schenck said the snake, which is not a native of the Commonwealth, is sick and about 10 pounds underweight.

“He has an upper respiratory infection,” he said. “He’s in a 75-gallon aquarium in the quarantine room with heat lights, a clean water bowl, and antibiotics.”

Neighbors said the building’s landlord had recently found an empty aquarium left behind by a former tenant.

“If anyone has unwanted pets, please do not let them loose. They’ll never survive in this local environment – it’s too harsh,” Schenck said.

Schenck said the store, which is considering keeping the snake, will put it work in the store’s animal-breeding program. Boas could live for 30 years, and adults can grow up to a dozen feet long and weigh more than 60 pounds.

“I’ll probably name it Cuddles,” Schenck said. “Because he already hooked onto my arm and squeezed like you wouldn’t believe.”