Woman Finds Eight Foot Snake In Yard

POST FALLS, Idaho — People in North Idaho are used to wildlife wandering in their yard, but certainly not an eight foot long snake. A big boa constrictor was discovered on Tuesday, just north of Post Falls in Ardella Quaaley’s front lawn.

Quaaley usually takes an evening walk but on Tuesday night, she didn’t walk too far.

“I walked across here and right under this apple tree was a snake,” she said.

Garter snakes are fairly common in this area, but this was no Garter snake.

“We figured close to eight feet long,” said Quaaley.

In fact the snake weighed almost 45 pounds.

“I thought it was fake,” said Quaaley. “I thought someone was playing some kind of joke because it was just laying there, not moving, I thought it was fake.”

Quaaley, not knowing what the procedure for reporting a giant snake was, decided to make a few calls.

“Well, I wasn’t scared of it,” she said. “I Wasn’t getting close to it, I just wondered what do you do with a snake. Who do you call?”

Quaaley called her neighbors, who then called more neighbors and pretty soon everyone was in on the discovery.

“Everybody, everybody was coming taking pictures with their camera’s and stuff you know,” said Quaaley.

For Quaaley, it’s not everyday a boa slithers into her yard.

“I even took pictures so people would believe, you know, that I did have a snake,” she said.

To keep the snake from getting away, Ardella and a few neighbors wrapped it in a sheet until a local vet arrived to take it for the night.

The boa was transported to a home in the county by animal control officers until the snake’s owner can be tracked down. Ardella couldn’t be happier that her snake responsibilities are over.

“Just because their creepy, you know,” she said. “I wouldn’t want one.”

Anyone with pet owner information is asked to call the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department at (208) 446-1300.