Almost 50 illegal pythons have been seized and euthanized by conservation authorities after officers found around 100 snakes on a property in Mission, B.C.
Insp. Chris Doyle of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said Friday that there were no permits for the snakes.
"No one at that residence had a permit to possess those snakes and those snakes did pose a risk to public safety," he said.
Doyle said the illegal snakes were reticulated pythons, which are known to be aggressive and dangerous to humans.
"For that reason they are a prohibited species in British Columbia," he said.
The illegal pythons have been removed and destroyed, but residents told CTV British Columbia they're still feeling uneasy following the discovery.
"It is a shock… if everything got out, my goodness, what would we do?" said one resident.
Another resident said the snakes could have easily escaped from the property, which is located steps away from a local school.
"If they're not attended to on a daily basis, I'm sure there are openings… they could find their way into the neighbourhood no problem," he said.
The B.C. seizure came on the same day authorities in southern Ontario seized 40 pythons from a motel near the city of Brantford. The Ontario pythons are now in the care of the Brant County SPCA.
Deadly attack
Last week, two New Brunswick brothers were killed by an African rock python that had managed to escape its enclosure. Preliminary autopsy reports show the brothers were asphyxiated.
The boys were sleeping over at a friend's house at the time of their death.
Meanwhile the house in Mission, B.C. where the snakes were found remains off-limits as authorities continue their investigation. The owner of the reptiles could face a fine of $100,000 or jail time if charges are laid.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Scott Hurst
