Six-foot boa constrictor goes missing from beach in Tofino, B.C.

A surfer rides a wave on Chesterman Beach in Tofino, B.C., Tuesday, April, 17, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

A six-foot-long boa constrictor is on the loose after slithering away at Tofino’s Chesterman Beach on Vancouver Island’s West Coast. 

James Rodgers, co-founder of the Coastal Animal Rescue and Education Network in Tofino, said the young man who owns the snake reported it missing Monday after it disappeared Sunday afternoon. 

Rodgers said it wasn’t clear why the owner took the exotic animal to the beach.

“Maybe, I don’t know, for attention or engaging with people,” he said. “I don’t think the snake needs to exercise on the beach.”

Rodgers said anyone encountering the tan-coloured snake should contact his organization, adding that it had never dealt with a missing snake since it was formed 14 years ago. 

He said the beach where the animal disappeared is popular with people walking their dogs or just taking a stroll.

“So I’m quite sure, there (are) a lot of people keeping an extra keen eye out for log-like things moving,” he said, adding there had not been any sightings.

Boa constrictors feed on lizards, rodents and birds, and B.C. categorizes them as restricted animals that cannot be released under any circumstances, requiring permits for owning and transporting them if they are longer than three metres. 

Rodgers said the animal does not pose a threat to humans.

“But … I think I’d be pretty concerned if I saw a six-foot snake in this area — pretty much any area,” he said. 

“I would definitely want to do some Googling pretty quick before trying to apprehend said slithering snake.”

This report by Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025.