A 7-foot boa constrictor has been on the loose in Oktibbeha County for nearly three weeks, according to Starkville police.
Animal Control officers learned March 18 that a red-tailed boa was missing from a residence in the 500 block of West Garrard Road, north of OCH Regional Medical Center, according to Caryl Pritchard of the Starkville Police Department.
“We were advised by this pet owner that the snake is about 7 feet long,” she said in the news release. “Animal Control has not received any information on any sightings of this snake, but we have closely patrolled the area daily, looking under houses, sheds, holes in the ground, brush piles, wooded areas, and in trees near the area where the snake went missing.”
Red-tailed boas are tree-dwelling snakes native to tropical forests in north and central South America, according to Reptiles magazine. They become sluggish in temperatures below 75 degrees, and so will seek warm spots. Boas are carnivorous, but not venomous: they kill by constriction, but eat mostly rodents and birds. Captive-bred snakes, readily available as pets, are generally calm around humans, according to Reptiles.
Officers have spoken to several residents of the area, and answered some of their concerns, Pritchard said.
“We ask that the citizens in the area remain vigilant, keeping an eye on small pets and remind your children to stay away from snakes,” she said.
Anyone who spots a snake matching this description is asked to call Animal Control during normal business hours at 662-769-2728, or call police after hours at 662-323-4131.