Cozumel, Q.R. — A snake more than three meters in length is waiting to be relocated by Cozumel authorities. The boa constrictor will be moved to a new area after a sighting was reported in the municipal corralón on Monday.
The deputy director of Ecology, Germán Yáñez Mendoza, reported that Cozumel firemen were able to locate and capture the 3.2 meter long snake inside the city car pound. He says the snake weighed 22 kilos, making it the largest boa that they have captured.
He added that following protocol, he has already reported its capture to the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) to carry out the corresponding procedures since these types of species are taken to the city of Playa del Carmen.
Yáñez Mendoza explained that these snakes are not relocated to a different part of the island in order to protect the local wildlife due to an overpopulation of boas. He says although they are non-venomous snakes, they are considered dangerous for the local birds and mammals such as the raccoon, dwarf raccoon, coati, among other species, which could decrease those populations.
