A Imperator measuring over two meters in length was captured by Málaga Local Police on the calle de Cortijo Campanillas, located near the Real Guadalhorce Golf Club.
A group of cyclists travelling along the road encountered the animal between the path they were cycling on and some cypresses delineating an area, being surprised by its large dimensions, they alerted the Local Police in Málaga.
At the scene, the agents found the snake lethargic and surprisingly compliant. With the help of a citizen who owns a pest control company, they safely captured and secured it in a cardboard box to prevent escape.
Next, the boa was taken to police facilities, where agents from the Nature Protection Group (Gruprona) of the police force collected it and transferred it to the Málaga Municipal Animal Protection Center (Cepam) for assessment, confirming its length of 2.30 metres (with the possibility of further growth), and identifying it as a female specimen.
The snake remained in the custody of Cepam, where arrangements are being made for its transfer to an exotic species refuge that has expressed interest in caring for it.
Boas are snakes that kill their prey by wrapping around them, hence their Latin term “constrictor.” Some of the world’s largest snakes, such as the anaconda, also belong to the boa family.
Their natural distribution ranges from northern Mexico through Central to South America, typically inhabiting areas near water bodies and various habitats, including humid tropical jungles like the Amazon rainforest, dry savannas, shrublands, and tropical mountain forests.
