Boa constrictor on the loose at East Bay regional park
The snake seen in this photo appears to be a full-grown boa in Anthony Chabot Regional Park in Castro Valley. A visitor snapped the picture and shared it with the East Bay Regional Park District. (KTVU FOX 2)
OAKLAND, Calif. - A boa constrictor that was spotted at an East Bay regional park was likely dumped in the area, park officials said.
The East Bay Regional Park District said the snake was spotted last weekend at Chabot Regional Park, near the MacDonald staging area, and slithered away.
It is presumed to be a red-tailed boa, the park district said.
"The snake is not venomous and is not a threat to the public," said an East Bay Regional Parks spokesperson in an email. "The snake may be in danger as it is not native to our Bay Area climate, which is much colder than its native habitat of warm tropical forests or grasslands."
Park rangers are "keeping an eye out for it," the spokesperson said.
While the California hills are home to rattlesnakes, they're not a native habitat for boas. That's prompted internet speculation that the serpent had been someone's unwanted pet.
A friend of the woman who discovered the snake shared photos of the reptile in an open Facebook group called, "Bay Area Hikers."
The woman had snapped photos of the animal thinking it was dead, but when she returned to that same spot the snake was gone, her friend said in the Facebook comments.
Another woman commented on the post that she had seen the snake around the time of the original sighting.
The boa has not been spotted since Sunday.
Officials said since the pandemic began there's been a growing problem of people abandoning their pets.