Northern Rubber Boa sightings in Fernie and the Elk Valley are being requested by researchers, with residents asked to report any encounters with this rarely seen species.
The Northern Rubber Boa is one of the few snake species in British Columbia adapted to colder climates. It is slow-moving, often nocturnal, and rarely encountered. When it does appear, it’s typically in quiet, moist environments—along forested trails, near creeks, in grassland pockets, or within natural corridors like gullies.
That combination of behaviour and habitat makes it difficult to study, which is why public reporting matters.
Researchers with Thompson Rivers University are asking anyone who has seen a Northern Rubber Boa in the past few years to share details of the sighting. Reports can be sent to BCBoa@tru.ca
and should include the location, date, time if known, and a photo if available.
For Fernie and the Elk Valley, where trail use and changing environmental conditions continue to shape wildlife habitat, this kind of community-sourced data helps build a clearer understanding of where the species is living.
If you come across one this season, take note and report it. It’s not a common sight—and that’s exactly why it matters.
Read more here: bcreptilesandamphibians.ca
