Three-hour snakehunt on Simmons Road

By L.E. Crowley
Town correspondent

For three hours Sunday afternoon, a pet 10-foot boa constrictor was on the loose on Simmons Road in Hingham. The snake was found, but its owner, Robert Ullman of 36 Simmons Rd., could face charges relating to the escape.

“Charges are being considered,” said Animal Control Officer Leslie Badger, who would not elaborate. “We were lucky. It could have been a very dangerous situation. Any animal, even a domesticated pet or exotic ones bought in pet shops…can turn.”

Badger said Ullman’s property was searched extensively on Sunday, and eventually the snake was found under a boat and trailer in Ullman’s driveway.

No one answered the door at 36 Simmons Rd. Tuesday afternoon, and Ullman, whose telephone number has been changed with no further information, could not be reached for comment.

According to the National Geographic's website, boa constrictors, a snake native to Central and South America, are not poisonous. But they can grow to 13 feet in length and will eat anything it can catch -- from small birds to wild pigs. The boa kills by grabbing with hooked teeth and then wrapping its body around the prey until it is suffocated.

Badger said the snake was bought about three weeks ago from a local pet shop, and got loose when Ullman brought it outside to get some sun Sunday afternoon. The snake, Badger said, was left unattended on a sunny patio and slithered away. Police records show Ullman reported the escape at 4:51 p.m.

Badger said owning the boa constrictor is not illegal and does not require any permits. However, exotic pets such as dangerous snakes cannot be left outside unattended.

“Owners need to be responsible,” Badger said. “Always, always, always, supervise it. They can fly away, slither away, crawl away or run away.”

Brian Adams, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said each city and town has the authority to require permits, licenses, or restraints -- such as muzzles or cages -- for any pet, including exotic pets like boa constrictors.

He said it is up to local police and animal control officers to decide if charges should be filed against a pet owner for escapes or other situations that might put the public in danger from injurious or deadly pets.

Adams said that his agency "would investigate if there is animal cruelty. It is up to the local police or (animal control officer) to bring charges if there is negligence or other situations."