Snake owner sought after reptile discovered alone on B.C. bus
The operator of a B.C. bus service is searching for the owner of a slithery stowaway he discovered during routine maintenance work last week.
Michael Hathaway, owner of Mountain Man Mike's, told CTV News he was checking the air conditioning vents on one of their buses Friday when he found a large corn snake.
"I looked down and I saw what I thought was a rubber snake on the floor," Hathaway said.
"I continued working down the line, and I came back to it and gave it a poke and realized that it was actually a live snake."
The owner grabbed a box and managed to scoop the snake up and carry it outside. Fortunately, he had some previous experience with snakes, though it dates all the way back to elementary school.
"We had a corn snake in my class when I was in Grade 6 as the class pet. That's really my only formal interaction with a snake," Hathaway said.
It's unclear how long the creature had been on board, but Hathaway believes it could have been alone on the bus for days in the summer heat.
Mountain Man Mike's shared a picture of the creature on Facebook Saturday in the hopes of tracking down the rightful owner – but Hathaway said his three kids, who are between the ages of four and 12, are having a ball caring for in the meantime.
"You find something cool at work, the first thing you want to do is share it with your kids," he told CTV News. "They were arguing over whose room it gets to sleep in and names and everything else. We think we've settled on Cream Corn as the name, although we're still back-and-forth."
Even Hathaway's wife, who was initially "quite skeptical" of the snake, has come around.
"Now they're actually super bonded," Hathaway said.
Mountain Man Mike's owner Michael Hathaway said his children have loved having a temporary reptile roommate. (Michael Hathaway)
Providing even a temporary home for the reptile proved to be quite a challenge, but the small community of Kaslo stepped up to help. Hathaway said they asked for assistance online and before they knew it, they had everything from a 4.5-foot tank to a heat lamp.
"The snake's pretty happy," he said of the current living conditions. "I am planning on going out and buying more supplies but I kind of want to see what's going to happen with the situation."
Anyone with information on the snake's owner can reach out to Mountain Man Mike's.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.