As a child growing up in West Africa, running around in swimming trunks and flip-flops, I seemed to have an uncanny knack for finding interesting wildlife – especially snakes. I often ‘know’ that a snake is nearby.

This sixth sense has probably saved my life on a few occasions because in some of the places we lived in the 60’s and 70’s in Sierra Leone (population 6.5 million) or Northern Nigeria (population 150 million) for example, there simply were no Doctors around where we lived and there were plenty of deadly snakes.

On Wednesday of this week, my sixth sense was going haywire as I walked around taking photographs in a friend’s lush tropical garden and as I approached one area, a little voice in my head was telling me: “There is a big snake nearby.”

And oh boy! That little voice was correct because about two meters away I came across this six foot long, well fed beauty sunning itself…

The lady Realtor who accompanied me (now my wife) on this trip quickly decided that she had seen enough of the garden and went inside to help make some coffee …

The Boa constrictor is a large, heavy-bodied species of snake. It is a member of the Boinae family found in Central America, South America and some islands in the Caribbean.

This particular boa is going through it’s shedding phase where they shed their skin. You know this is happening because of the colour of the eyes and at this stage the snake cannot see very well and is therefore more unpredictable, which is why I didn’t get closer than about three feet away from it, however it is very, very rare that a boa would attack a human..

SOS – Save Our Snakes!

So should you come across a boa constrictor while walking your dog – please do not throw stones at it, please do not kill it – just keep on walking and, make sure the dog is on a leash!

Written by Scott Oliver, author of 1: How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa, 2: Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore and 3. ¿Cómo Comprar Bienes Raíces en Costa Rica, Sin Perder Su Camisa?

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.