Last week Gates Wildlife Control responded to an emergency call regarding a large snake inside a homeowners shed. Our customer sent us a photo and we knew we had to respond immediately as this snake should not be wondering the neighbourhoods of Toronto.

Gates Wildlife Vice President Peter and Gates Wildlife Field Supervisor Joel arrived onsite shortly after the call. Joel states that the snake is not a native species but likely someones pet that had escaped its enclosure and somehow managed to get outside.

Joel identified the snake is a Carpet Python, which are medium sized pythons. They are named for their beautiful markings, which resemble an oriental carpet pattern. Carpet Pythons are arboreal (treelike) snakes so they like to get on top of things to survey their surroundings. This explains why he got on top of the brooms in the shed rather than hiding in a corner at ground level.

The Carpet Python was taken to a facility that will care for him.