Culture · Missing pet recoveredHoke County boa found on farm after weeks missingWritten November 5, 2026 at 12:40 PM UTCWatchTranscript0:07A farmer mistook a missing boa constrictor for a fence post.0:10The pet snake is now safely contained after weeks loose near homes in North0:14Carolina.0:16Animal control helped collect it, ending the search that had kept nearby residents0:20watching their surroundings.0:22How did an ordinary fencing job finally bring the missing animal into custody?0:26Richard Wood found the boa on his farm on Callaway Road near Rayford.0:31That's in Hoke County, in the same broad area where residents had been warned to0:36watch for the missing pet near Carolina Horse Park.0:39Wood had workers putting up a fence when he noticed something lying on the ground.0:44At first, he took it for another piece of fencing material.0:48Then he realized what he was looking at.0:50The boa was described as six to seven feet long.0:53Wood recognized it as the missing snake, even though so much time had passed that0:58he'd stopped expecting to encounter it.1:01He said he'd almost forgotten about the escape.1:03His wife hadn't forgotten.1:05She'd remained worried about the animal being loose nearby, while Wood had insisted1:10it couldn't still be alive and wandering around the neighborhood.1:13Finding it on their own property settled that disagreement.1:17As he put it, lo and behold, she was right, and I was wrong.1:22So that's not unusual.1:24Wood called a friend who raises large snakes because he wasn't sure what to do.1:29The friend told him it probably wouldn't bite.1:32Wood described the boa as fairly docile, but said it appeared nervous out in the1:38open.1:40The animal had been missing since early October.1:44By the time it appeared beside the fencing work, the neighborhood had spent weeks1:48wondering where it might turn up.1:50The shelter issued its first alert on October fifth.1:54Wood found the snake on November fourth, almost a month later.1:58Those dates mark the warning and recovery.2:01The precise day the pet escaped is unclear.2:04Wood asked his friend.2:06Whether a rubber-made storage container would work, and the friend agreed.2:11Wood and his daughter, Peyton, then took hold of the snake's tail and let it move2:16into the container.2:17The snake was contained before animal control arrived.2:21Officials came with Matthew George, also known as Mountain Matt, who helped collect2:27it.2:27Wood said the people collecting the boa had been looking for the missing animal.2:31The county shelter thanked Wood for finding the snake, and the helper for picking it2:36up.2:37Wood believed its owner lived only a couple of houses away, though that was his2:42understanding of where the owner lived.2:43The Hoke County Animal Shelter announced the recovery that same day.2:48It said the boa was safely secured and on its way home.2:52No injuries were reported during the recovery.2:54The owner's description of a docile pet had shaped the earlier search.2:59Animal control director Christy Pilant said the snake was accustomed to handling.3:04But she warned that a large animal outside its familiar surroundings could react3:09defensively if threatened.3:10Boa constrictors are non-venomous, but Pylon's guidance during the search was to3:15keep a safe distance and leave capture to animal control.3:19She also told residents to keep children and pets away.3:23That warning applied while this snake was loose.3:25Wood said the encounter hadn't made him want a boa of his own.3:29The missing pet was contained and collected with animal control's involvement.3:34The shelter said it was heading home, but a completed handoff to its owner hasn't3:39been confirmed.Read the articleStory timelineHeyDex
