Milkshake isn’t bringing any boys to Kelowna’s Purple Seahorse Pet Store, because she’s been taken.
Shop owner Kai Heinrich said the banana ball python was taken from her enclosure on the afternoon of April 13.
The alleged theft, caught on surveillance video, shows three individuals take the snake and exit the store during feeding time at about 12:40 p.m.
Heinrich said he just wants Milkshake back, no questions asked.
“I know I’ve been given, in the past, a second chance to learn better and I became a good person,” Heinrich said. He doesn’t want to get the police involved or see severe consequences come down on who he believes are the youth who stole the reptile, but for Milkshake’s health wants to get her home.
“You’re talking a $400 to $500 snake here, so this thing isn’t an inexpensive item… But it is a live animal, and they took the live animal right before feeding time. It has special lighting, heat, moisture, and food requirements and they are not able to give it those.”
After taking the information to social media with a description of the three individuals, Heinrich received messages about a girl matching the description of one of the alleged culprits, reportedly seen toting the snake around Orchard Park Mall wrapped around her hand, before getting on a city bus to West Kelowna.
Heinrich described her as wearing a red t-shirt and black puffer vest and having long black hair.
“You have a tropical snake that lives in a jungle and you just took it out in 10-degree weather to take a bus and show it off at the mall. Right there, you’re an idiot,” Heinrich stated.
Another message he received was from someone who said the description could possibly be their daughter and asked for images from the surveillance footage.
“I just want the snake to be healthy, happy and cared for. Just bring it back. I don’t care, just say sorry and drop the snake off and let’s move on from this.”
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