Dangerous Boa Constrictor Gives Police The Slip

Australian authorities are hunting a two-metre (6.5 feet) boa constrictor after police officers mistakenly released it.

Two weeks ago, police on the Gold Coast were called to reports of a large snake on a footpath in Surfers Paradise, a popular tourist destination.

The officers caught the snake and released it into nearby bushland, believing it to be a harmless python.

But the snake has since been identified as a South American boa constrictor, a predatory animal that poses a threat to domestic pets.

Biosecurity Queensland officer Duncan Swan said a team of 12 are scouring the region for the snake, reportedly using thermal imaging.

"In the wild these things tend to move no more than 100 metres a night - they are a nocturnal snake so we are reasonably confident that it is still in that general area," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

"But that said, trying to find a snake in a reasonably heavily vegetated area is very, very difficult."

The snake - which can grow up to four metres (13ft) long and weigh around 45kg (7st) - is illegal in Australia and considered a pest.

Gold Coast snake catcher Tony Harrison said the boa constrictor would not be dangerous to children but it could threaten many small animals.

"They have been known to eat cats and dogs,” he told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

"They do have over 100 teeth, and they will defend themselves if they are confronted ... but they're not venomous, and they don't eat kids."

Mr Harrison said it could also cause a lot of harm to the local environment.

"It has a couple of things it could potentially do - firstly, it could introduce viruses to Australian species, and therefore wipe out the Australian population of reptiles," he told the ABC.

"It can also start to breed if it's pregnant and it drops a clutch of babies, and all of a sudden, bang - they establish here in Australia."