Python spotted on Burnaby Mountain carried home by student

An SFU student has found a metre-long exotic snake that was spotted slithering around Burnaby Mountain on Monday. 

Concerned for its safety, Marissa Bowsfield went looking for the ball python and found it on Tuesday evening sunning itself on a trail near the Horizons restaurant.

"I just picked it up and I live at the university, which is about a 15 minute walk, and carried it home with me," Bowsfield said. "Once I knew it was out there, I wanted to help it. I knew it wasn't going to survive in our climate on its own."

While most might run in fear from such a large snake, the university student says she's never had an issue with those reptiles. 

"If it was something else, like maybe a giant spider, I wouldn't have acted the way I did, but snakes are OK," she told CBC on Wednesday. 

The ball python appears to be thirsty but otherwise healthy. Bowsfield has kept it warm using hot water bottles so far, and she plans to take it to the the Urban Safari Rescue Society in Surrey soon. 

This is the second python Bowsfield has found. She rescued and returned another snake to the society a few weeks ago. 

Ball pythons are small, non-venomous snakes that are not indigenous to Canada. They're also typically shy. 

The SPCA suspect the snake was likely a pet that someone could no longer care for.