Edmonton man comes home to find snake native to U.S. in apartment
Warning: This story contains imagery some viewers may find disturbing.
An Edmonton man says he hasn't slept well since finding a metre-long snake that's native to the eastern and southern American states behind his couch.
The thought that keeps Adel Al-Abodi awake is: "How long?" As in: How long was the snake in his apartment?
The downtown Edmonton resident had just returned to his unit late Sunday morning when he noticed movement in his peripheral vision.
"Looked like a tail," he thought, pulling his sofa away from the wall.
By his estimate, the black snake he found was at least a metre long, perhaps two.
It began moving and Al-Abodi panicked, swinging and hitting the reptile with a tool.
"The snake started moving to attack me. But I hit it again," he told CTV News Edmonton in an interview on Tuesday.
"I was really scar[ed]. I felt in danger."
At that point, the snake was badly injured and barely moving. Al-Abodi called his building manager and the police.
A city spokesperson confirmed a snake was removed from a unit at 9903 105 Street, noting "it was injured prior to arrival and had to be euthanized."
CORN SNAKE
In his panic, Al-Abodi recalled a snake escaping and killing two kids in eastern Canada in 2013.
But that was a python. Edmonton's experts say Al-Abodi found a common corn snake.
The latter are sometimes called rat snakes. According to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., corn snakes are constrictors which wrap themselves around prey to subdue it. They can swallow smaller prey whole and range in length from 61 to 182 centimetres.
The city spokesperson said the Animal Care and Control Centre is investigating where the snake came from, but Al-Abodi says the building manager told him it was a neighbour's pet.
According to him, no pets are allowed.
"It was less than one metre away from where I slept," Al-Abodi said.
"Yesterday night and the day before, I couldn't sleep in the night. I feel danger. Sometimes I jump."
But, overall, he considers the experience part of the natural rhythm of life.
"This is our life: One day up, next day down."
Correction
An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported Har-Par Investments Ltd. managed the property, as a person at the head office told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday. However, Har-Par Investments later said it does not manage Adel Al-Abodi's property, and that the downtown building was confused for a property by a similar name it manages in southwest Edmonton.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.