Authorities hunt for boa constrictor set free by police
AUTHORITIES are searching the Gold Coast after a South American boa constrictor was released by Queensland police officers who wrongly believed it was a harmless python.
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Police were called to The Esplanade at Surfers Paradise on or about March 26 to respond to reports of a large snake spotted at the base of a tree on a footpath.
The missing Boa Constrictor is a similar size to Monty the carpet python. No major threat to humans @7NewsBrisbane pic.twitter.com/SPi46Tx0pH
— Kendall Gilding (@Kendall_Gilding) April 7, 2015
The officers released the reptile into bushland at the Southport Spit, but the incident has since sparked an operation by Biosecurity Queensland officers who said the snake was not a harmless python after all.
The reptile was identified as a two-metre South American boa constrictor, a large predatory snake that could pose a threat to other reptiles and even domestic pets.
Biosecurity Queensland officer Duncan Swan said a team of 12 State Government and Gold Coast City Council officers were scouring the Southport Spit for the reptile.
