The snake, which is about 2-feet long, will likely be handed over to an experienced herpetologist in Russell.
WESTFIELD -- A woman received a shock last week when she moved a trash container inside her Washington House apartment and discovered a boa constrictor lurking behind it.
“When we got there she was halfway down the hallway,” said Daniel Kelly, director of the Westfield Housing Authority. “I’d be there, too.”
Maintenance personnel, using a pair of large tongs, safely captured the errant snake and placed it inside a cloth shopping bag before handing it over to animal control officer Kenneth Frazer.
Kelly and Frazer both said they have no idea how the snake, discovered Tuesday afternoon, ended up inside the woman’s apartment. Kelly said he is checking out rumors that another tenant may have been keeping it as a pet, against Housing Authority rules for high-rise units.
Small animals like hamsters and fish are allowed; however, snakes are not, Kelly said.
Frazer said the boa is a young one, about 2 feet long. Kelly, who saw the snake after its capture, said he thought the snake was significantly longer than that.
“I have missed shorter putts, I will tell you that,” Kelly said.
Frazer, meanwhile, said the boa appears to be in good health as the clock winds down on the statutory seven-day waiting period for found property.
“He is doing fine,” Frazer said of the serpent. “He has gone through 10 mice already.”
Once the seven days elapses, Frazer said, he will likely hand the snake over to an experienced herpetologist who lives in Russell.