An 11-year-old Edmonton boy got an unpleasant surprise when he found a snake coiled in his shoe last Saturday.
While Blake Dahl and his family have no idea how the small intruder made its way into the house, one thing was clear - it was unwelcome.
“Mom wants it out,” Blake told CTV News last week.
Laura Anderson, a friend of the Dahl family, volunteered to give the snake a home.
“It’s been a few years since I had a snake, so we just love having it around,” she said.
Anderson’s 6-year-old son, who is elated to have a new houseguest, has since named his slithery friend “Dan the snake.”
According to Anderson, a junior high school teacher, her students look forward to hearing daily updates about “Dan.”
“Wildlife management is one of the areas we study with the students, so [the snake] is very related to what we’re doing […] the classroom Facebook page is just buzzing with information about the snake,” she explained.
“It’s gotten them to do a little bit of research too which as a teacher is just a wonderful, teachable moment.”
Anderson said it’s hard to tell by the markings what type of snake it is, but “it’s behavior so far seems to be like a bull snake from southern Alberta.”
Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers have since gotten involved and agree the animal is likely either a bull or gopher snake, not a king snake as originally reported.
Edmonton district fish and wildlife officer Dennis Prodan said the snake isn’t dangerous, but does require a permit – something normally handed out “to zoos or educational institutions.”
According to Prodan, the problem is that once a snake is taken out of its natural habitat, it becomes more vulnerable to health issues.
“In a lot of cases, once the novelty wears off, people will release these animals back into the wild and inadvertently jeopardize the population by releasing a snake that might be infested with parasites or carry disease that the wild population wouldn’t be able to deal with,” he explained.
Anderson plans to have officials identify the snake and understands if “Dan” has to go.
“If it’s a wild animal, then it would be better suited in the wild,” she said.
With files from Amanda Anderson
