Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 14/02) - When they didn't hear from their beloved missing pet, Margot Engley and Ari Slatkof called in the search party, assuming Nisha had been left for dead somewhere in the wilds of the house.

The 1.3 metre black king snake was only trying to get some shut-eye in a quiet dark refuge when her eight- month nap was interrupted. Slatkof discovered Nisha deep in the back of the cupboard, while removing an old dishwasher.

Naturally, Nisha was severely cranky and even hissed and shook her skinny tail at him.

The dramatic display was a bit scary for the owners, who said Nisha is "generally easy-going, although a good escape artist."

The whole mess began last September when, during a visit to Engley's office, Nisha wandered - or rather slithered-off unannounced. Three weeks later, Nisha turned up at the office and was promptly sent to her cage. But an unimpressed Nisha continued plotting her escape.

Later that week, while Engley was preparing Nisha's favourite dinner, the mouse managed to dash off. Naturally, Nisha quickly slithered after her meal and was not to be seen again. Well, until last Wednesday.

Thinking Nisha had likely died, Engley and Slatkof acquired a couple of more snakes. Because they both work a lot, they said snakes are ideal pets. They're only fed once a week and don't require much attention. They purchased all their snakes down south -- one in Edmonton and the other two in British Columbia.

Now that Nisha's back, Engley and Slatkof are the proud parents of a full snake family. Each has their own cage since the carnivorous species are known to eat one another.