Saanich Police hope that cameras will come up snake-eyes as the search for an elusive critter continues.
Sgt. Julie Fast said police have set up the devices to help them capture — at least visually — a snake described as “large, pale [and] yellow” seen slithering around the 3200 block of Lindwood Avenue.
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“We are utilizing trail [cameras] in the hopes of confirming the snake is there and possibly identifying what type of snake it is,” she said Thursday morning. “As of yet, we have not captured an image of it.”
Fast said standard trail cameras snap pictures when motion when activates them. Saanich Police are not disclosing the exact location of the cameras to avoid tampering.
Saanich Police are also still asking the public to contact them if they have witnessed the animal.
Local authorities first learned of the animal after a resident had contacted them on March 19 after spotting the animal.
Fast said earlier this week that the same resident had first spotted the animal around his property around Christmas time. It has since appeared a few times then, she said, adding each sighting has been either late at night or in the very early morning hours when it is still dark out.
“Based on the description of the snake, it is possibly an exotic species that had been kept as a pet,” she said. “It may have been intentionally released by its owner who no longer wanted it or it may have inadvertently escaped, although we have had no reports of a missing snake.”
The BC Wildlife Act regulates which animals qualify as Controlled Alien Species, and it requires anyone wanting to possess one of these species to obtain a permit first, said Fast.
Some species of snakes are on this list and Saanich Pound has contacted the BC Fish and Wildlife Branch to inquire whether anyone in that area holds such a permit, said Fast.