Up and adder: Victoria crews busy removing snake from drain

City of Victoria workers find all kinds of things in city drains, but not many of them are five feet long — and alive.

Work crews have found a large snake inside a drain pipe at the intersection of Quadra Street and Balmoral Road and are working to get it out.

Mike Ippin, Victoria's manager of utility operations, says the snake was found Wednesday morning and seems "quite happy" there.

"We met animal control on the site this afternoon, and with their advice we've basically re-baited the manhole [with a dead mouse] and put some heat pads there," he told All Points West guest host Kelly Nakatsuka.

"Basically, when it cools off at night, the thought is that the snake will be attracted to the additional heat and food and then we can actually extract the snake out of the manhole."

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Victoria's senior animal control officer, Ian Fraser, says the snake in question is a corn snake, a non-venomous snake commonly sold in pet stores. He says it is believed to be about five feet long.

The working theory is the snake was a pet that escaped somehow and found its way into the drain.

Ippin says the snake could be shedding its skin, making it lethargic and less likely to move.

"It could be there for quite a while," Ippin said. "It's very hot outside and the pipe is fairly shallow so it may not be feeling any discomfort at all."

Fraser and Ippin agree it's an unusual situation.

"I've done this job for quite a number of years now and I've never seen a snake in this position before," Fraser said.

City crews hope when they check the trap Friday morning, the snake will be inside it.

With files from CBC Radio One's All Points West