Eve, the world’s most famous rainbow boa, has died. Reaching 25 years of age, she was an old snake. And my favorite. She arrived via Federal Express on the day of the 9/11 World Trade Center terrorist attack. Then she was just a foot long, curled up in a tiny container. By the time she died, she’d reached 7-feet-long, which is about a foot longer than rainbow boas are supposed to get.
Yes, snakes do have personalities. Rainbow boas can be a bit bitey, but Eve was a gentle sweetheart. I used to take her to schools to teach children the biological importance of snakes and to discourage the prejudice that often leads to humans killing them. She also did multiple TV interviews and was all over the internet.
Last night, when Deb and I returned from the Galapagos Islands, the entertainment room where the terrariums for Eve, Adam, and Lara Flynn Boa are located stunk. But that was to be expected after 11 days without cleaning. I was too tired to do anything about it at the time and instead got to work on the clean-up job this morning. That’s when I discovered Eve. She had just shed, and I think the process was too much for her old age. She had likely been dead for several days. I realize that most people can’t relate to mourning the death of a snake, but Eve had been in my life for 25 years, and I miss her.