Conservation officers seize 9-foot python from Chilliwack home

B.C. conservation officers seized a Burmese python on Tuesday. (B.C. Conservation Officer Service/Facebook)

B.C. conservation officers recently seized a nine-foot-long Burmese python from a home in Chilliwack.

In a social media post Wednesday, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service explains that keeping the exotic animal as a pet is illegal in the province.

It says the snake was seized on Tuesday, as the conclusion to an ongoing investigation into its unlawful possession.

“The python is currently being cared for at an undisclosed location as the investigation continues. Enforcement action is pending,” the post reads.

BCCOS adds that in the past decade, it has removed a number of other illegally kept exotic animals, including cheetahs, alligators and monkeys.

Pythons are one of around 1,200 species known as “controlled alien species” in B.C. The species are not native to the province, BCCOS explained, and it’s illegal to possess, ship, transport or breed one without a special permit.

Possessing a CAS without a permit can result in fines up to $100,000 and up to one year in jail, according to the service.