Python found in Kamloops dumpster rescued by animal lover

KAMLOOPS – A man running errands around Kamloops recently came home with more than he expected.

Kieran Landry was shopping on Aug. 3 when he overheard a couple saying they had found something unusual in the dumpster.

“I was at Pinnacle Access and there was a guy and his girlfriend saying they found a python in the dumpster and they weren’t sure what to do with it or who to call,” he says.

Landry has experience with reptiles and went out to check on the snake. He said the ball python was in a plastic container with some air holes, but no water or food.

“It was obviously the container someone had him in before, but it hadn't been cleaned in I don't even know how long,” Landry says. The water dishes in the container were both "bone dry," he says. 

Landry knew he couldn't leave without making sure the snake was OK.

“I knew I was going to take him home because I wasn’t about to leave him there."

Landry lives with his girlfriend who is a veterinary technician. She checked on the snake and called some coworkers for advice, and they determined the snake was relatively healthy despite the ordeal. The couple have set up a veterinarian appointment for the reptile.

Landry’s girlfriend, although a fan of animals, wasn't too keen on having a three and a half foot serpent join the mix. The couple already has two dogs, a cat, a rabbit and fish. Landry has had boa constrictors and corn snakes in the past and managed to convince his girlfriend to let the snake stay.

Since the snake was found in a dumpster, Landry decided to call him Oscar the Grouch. Despite the name, he says the snake is very friendly, docile and comfortable with being handled.

“I've had ball pythons before. They're fairly docile if you handle them regularly,” Landry says. “They're not very active or anything either. They're low maintenance.”

Landry is stunned as to why someone would leave a creature in a dumpster, saying they could've tried to rehome it instead.

“I'm thinking somebody just wanted to get rid of it or it was left with somebody that didn't want it, like somebody who had a roommate and left it and they just didn't want it.”

Landry looks forward to having a new pet join the household, and says he will ensure the snake gets all the love, and mice, it needs.

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