An extensive search for “Lady,” the errant ball python, continued through Wednesday without success or a visual confirmation that the snake is still hiding within a wall separating two residences on Willibrord St. in Verdun, where animal recovery officials believe it fled after it was seen earlier in the week.
In fact, the four-foot-long snake — which broke out of its vivarium last week and escaped through an open patio door at an apartment blocks away — has not been seen firsthand since Monday.
Lady was last intercepted when the son of the apartment building’s owner tried to grab the snake by the tail on Monday, according to specialists from Animex, a first-response company dispatched to monitor the snake’s movements. The boy lost his grip, said Ariane Duplessis, one of the Animex workers, and the python fled.
Duplessis managed to capture a photo of the snake in a corner of one of the building’s balconies, after which she suspected that Lady found her way into an opening at the base of the wall.
However, an extensive search by special camera — lent to the investigators by a local plumbing company — did not spot the snake anywhere in the wall or inner structure of the building.
It’s possible, Duplessis explained, that the snake is coiled too tightly to be spotted. The ball python’s name comes from a habit of curling up into a ball to protect its head in its coils when threatened, she said.
The next step, outlined Nathalie Mainville, Verdun’s public security supervisor, is to wait until the sun goes down and search the bushes with batons and other instruments. Montreal’s overnight thunderstorm warning might facilitate the searches, since the snake is likely to emerge when the ground is wet and humid, she said.
File photo of a python: The snakes are not poisonous, though they do come out at night to feed on small rodents, a police spokesperson says.
But there is no way to know whether Lady has left the yard on Willibrord St. and is sightseeing in another area of Verdun until she is spotted and subsequently localized. Most calls received so far have been false starts, Mainville said.
While investigators stood vigil at the site on Willibrord, on the Internet, droves of curious — or panicked — citizens have taken an interest in the ongoing saga of the loose python. Lady now has her own Twitter account (@pythonverdun) with nearly 400 followers, and a new monicker — the “Python de Verdun.”
This rampage is making me hungry. Time for a poutine du new verdun brb. #Python
— Python De Verdun
(@pythonverdun) August 30, 2016
(@pythonverdun) Throughout the course of the day’s search, a few curious neighbours poked their heads from nearby buildings to ask if the reptile had been captured. One man said that his mother-in-law is afraid to leave the house until the snake is caught.
On the other hand, some people are struggling to understand the residual distress of residents in the area.
“It’s a little ridiculous,” said a female neighbour, who asked not to be named. “I’m from Florida — they should let me at that thing. This is nothing compared to what we have in Florida — poisonous snakes or snakes that can fall on your head while you’re in a canoe.”
Residents don’t have to fear the python, explained Duplessis and colleague Ève Suprenant-Desjardins, but have to be aware that, if spotted, children may want to approach the snake and run the risk of being bitten.
Pythons are not venomous, though they do come out at night to feed on small rodents and may strike at other small animals. The Animex team estimates that Lady ate two days ago at most, and it may take several days before she emerges for more.
“It takes about a week to digest its prey depending on the size of what it ate,” Surprenant-Desjardins said, adding that there’s a possibility that the snake may never be recovered.
In fact, there’s a possibility that the snake may have already died somewhere in the neighbourhood due to temperature fluctuations or some other variable, Duplessis said.
It’s unclear how long the search will continue, and officials will likely have to rely on sightings by civilians to get a better idea of where in the neighbourhood the snake could be.
A notice issued by the Verdun borough cautions citizens not to approach the snake if they see it, but to call the local police station or 911.
