Rubber boa found on walking
Don’t be alarmed if you see a rubber boa snake in the Okanagan this summer season.
Pennie Mathieson was out treking with a friend previously today in West Kelowna’s Rose Valley Regional Park when the set encountered a big snake that captured them by surprise.
Mathieson informs Castanet the snake was the biggest she’s ever seen in the location, which initially, she puzzled it for something more unsafe.
“We went and hiked Rose Valley reservoir and we were on the northeast side of the reservoir around 10:30 a.m. when we saw [the snake] on the trail. We didn’t know what it was, but you could tell when you hear my voice on the video that I thought it was a rattlesnake,” explained Mathieson.
According to the hiker, the rubber boa was roughly 2 and a half feet long and about 2 inches thick. She says the snake appeared really docile and unbothered by their business.
Although rubber boas are non-venomous and not a hazard to people, it’s important to be knowledgeable about your environments when out on a walking.
Mathieson wished to get the word out to other hikers in the location as there might be other snakes out there that may not be so friendly.
“We did a hike and we were on our way back towards the vehicles and that’s where we discovered it. It was right on the trail. We were the only one’s there, but we do come across the odd person and their dog. We were just so surprised.”
Spotting a rubber boa can be uncommon as they’re mostly a nighttime animal, however can in some cases be active at dawn and sunset.
