Overview
- A 1.5-metre boa was discovered under the hood of a car in Colomiers when the owner tried to charge the battery, with the incident occurring Tuesday and reported by local fire services.
- Five firefighters including two animal-risk (RAN) specialists used specialist equipment to remove the snake without harm and handed it to the École nationale vétérinaire de Toulouse for care.
- A separate roughly 1-metre boa was found on a public road in Montesquieu-Volvestre later in the week and was returned to its owner after officers said it had escaped its vivarium.
- SDIS 31 says the Colomiers snake’s ownership remains unknown and recalls that keeping non-domestic reptiles in France typically requires prior authorization, a certificate of capacity and identification, with legal penalties for non-compliance.
- The episodes underscore the role of trained RAN teams and veterinarians in public safety and animal welfare and could prompt closer checks on exotic-pet containment and owner responsibility in populated areas.