Yaletown renter comes home to find white snake coiled up on her patio

UPDATE: May 8 — A veterinarian who spoke to Global News said the snake was not a python, as was claimed, but an albino corn snake, which does not pose a danger to humans.

Carey McBeth had just come home from a trip to Victoria when she came upon a startling sight on her balcony in Vancouver’s Yaletown area on Monday.

McBeth had previously found cigarette butts, marijuana and rats on the 1,000-sq.-ft. patio.

But this was something new: a long white snake.

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Looking out to the patio from her desk inside, she saw this:

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“I just got home and I lost my mind,” McBeth, who hates snakes, told Global News.

McBeth told the building’s concierge, who “kind of started laughing” when she described the problem, according to her.

The concierge and another man entered the apartment as McBeth was in a “full on panic.”

They looked out on the patio and immediately started laughing, she said.

READ MORE: Seattle child finds python in apartment toilet 

“I’m panicking and I said, this isn’t funny.” she said.

McBeth said the concierge would make a phone call and have someone take the snake away.

“This is Yaletown, we’re not in the Amazon,” she said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This is Yaletown, we're not in the Amazon," she said.

McBeth was soon informed that it could take anywhere from half an hour to two hours for someone to take care of the slithering creature.

For her, that wasn’t quick enough. So a call was placed to the the fire department non-emergency line.

READ MORE: Report points to urban development in Lethbridge for spike in rattlesnake encounters

When crews arrived, one of them said the snake appeared to be injured, possibly after a fall from an apartment above.

Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services Capt. Jonathan Gormick confirmed that personnel attended a “medical event” that saw them “remove an exotic snake” from an apartment on Monday.

He said the snake was taken out of the building and handed over to Animal Control.

Gormick had no information about what happened to the snake after that.

The reptile was an albino corn snake – a risk to rats and mice but not to people, according to Dr. Adrian Walton, an exotic animal veterinarian with Dewdney Animal Hospital.

It turns out the snake is a four-year-old man named Levii. He belonged to Sergio Biggemann, who lives on the 18th floor of the building.

Biggemann told Global News he had built a solarium in his apartment for Levii  and had space for him to move around and explore.

However on Saturday night, as the temperature climbed, Biggemann opened a window to let in some air and that’s when Levii climbed out and fell 15 floors to land on McBeth’s patio below.

Biggemann spent all day Sunday looking for his pet but didn’t know where he had gone until McBeth came home Monday.

“It’s something we never would have felt would happen,” he said. “He’s never even attempted to go close to the window before.”

When Biggemann saw this article posted online he sent McBeth a message about what happened.

It turns out Levii did not survive his fall. Despite the best efforts of staff at the animal hospital, he suffered too much internal bleeding and succumbed to his injuries.

“I contacted Carey because I wanted to apologize and say I understand why she would be scared,” he said.

“It’s not something you would expect.”

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“He’s harmless, he’s always been harmless. He was a very docile and a beautiful, beautiful snake.”

Biggemann also says Levii was purchased legally.

“A lot of people have been very hard on Carey and I don’t think that’s fair,” he said. “She’s been very supportive and nothing but helpful to me.”