The pet boa constrictor that everyone in Ottawa thought was on the loose for the last 10 days was in its owner’s basement all along.
Westboro resident Karen Genge reported the grey and black snake, named Murphy, as missing in action the weekend of Aug. 10.
She told media at the time Murphy had been enjoying a midnight snack outside his indoor enclosure and she believed he had slithered out the door.
In a couple of tweets posted on Monday afternoon, user Karen L Genge suggested vibrations caused by home renovations provoked Murphy to come out of the shadows.
Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper also confirmed on Twitter that Murphy indeed been found.
Ottawa’s bylaw department had flagged the lost boa constrictor and said the snake was “no cause for concern” – but the news still triggered a wave of anxiety in the west downtown neighbourhood
Others, meanwhile, got a kick out of the drama; someone even created an “Ottawa Snake” Twitter account for Murphy.
It remains unclear whether the 1.5-metre long constrictor is a legal or illegal pet under the city’s animal care and control bylaw.
The bylaw bans any snakes that are members of the non-venomous Boidae family — but it does permit breeds of boas that reach “an adult length of no greater than two metres.”
Without seeing Murphy for themselves, a spokesperson for Ottawa Bylaw was unable to tell Global News last week whether the snake is an authorized pet.
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