CORNER BROOK, N.L. -- A missing three-metre boa constrictor that caused some concern among local residents was safely returned on Sunday to the pet store from which it was taken last week, the shop's owners said.

The stolen serpent was turned over in a duffel bag by two women who said they purchased it for $300 from a "friend of a friend," Wild World manager Taj Paris said in an interview Sunday.

The women said they were concerned for the snake's well-being, Paris said, inviting him to collect the creature from a basement in one of their homes.

"She didn't want to touch the snake," Paris said. "She just wanted us to have it back."

The snake, named Venus, was stolen from the yet-to-open pet shop overnight Thursday along with hundreds of dollars and merchandise.

According to Paris, the women said the people who they obtained the reptile from were unsure what to do with the 40-kilogram, red-tail boa.

Paris said Venus seems traumatized by the ordeal. He said when he retrieved the normally docile snake, she opened her jaw and hissed, but never tried to bite him.

Now back in her enclosure, Wild World staff are coaxing Venus into eating.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary said on Sunday that calls from concerned residents have stopped since the snake was found.

Police had issued a warning to the public last week not to approach Venus if they spotted the snake.

"The police were kind of left out of this," a police spokesperson said. The investigation into the theft is ongoing.

Paris and his colleagues are relieved the store's scaly showpiece has been returned.

"She's not for sale," Paris said. "She's a prize store item ... It's like seeing a dinosaur."