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West Kelowna  

Rubber boa slithers through Rose Valley in West Kelowna

Rubber boa spotted on hike

Don’t be alarmed if you see a rubber boa snake in the Okanagan this summer.

Pennie Mathieson was out hiking with a friend earlier this week in West Kelowna’s Rose Valley Regional Park when the pair came across a large snake that caught them by surprise.

Mathieson tells Castanet the snake was the largest she’s ever seen in the area, and that at first, she confused it for something more dangerous.

“We went and hiked Rose Valley reservoir and we were on the northeast side of the reservoir around 10:30 a.m. when we saw [the snake] on the trail. We didn’t know what it was, but you could tell when you hear my voice on the video that I thought it was a rattlesnake,” explained Mathieson.

According to the hiker, the rubber boa was approximately two and a half feet long and about two inches thick. She says the snake seemed very docile and unbothered by their company.

Although rubber boas are non-venomous and not a threat to humans, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings when out on a hike.

Mathieson wanted to spread the word to other hikers in the area as there may be other snakes out there that might not be so friendly.

“We did a hike and we were on our way back towards the vehicles and that’s where we discovered it. It was right on the trail. We were the only one’s there, but we do come across the odd person and their dog. We were just so surprised.”

Spotting a rubber boa can be rare as they’re primarily a nocturnal creature, but can sometimes be active at dawn and dusk.



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