Small Pet Owners in California Neighborhood Warned After Family's 15-Foot Pet Python Escapes
The reptile, a reticulated python named Big Momma, got loose after its cage was accidentally left unlocked
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A California family's 15-foot pet python escaped from its cage on July 3.A family's 15-foot pet python is on the loose, leaving residents in Chatsworth, California, concerned for the safety of their small pets.
The reticulated python, fittingly named Big Momma, escaped from its cage in the family's backyard on July 3, according to a post from the reptile's owner, Alex Villalta, on the My Chatsworth Facebook page.
"She is friendly to humans and about 8" thick," Villalta wrote to reassure his neighbors.
But he added a warning to residents with pets. "She [was] just fed, but please be aware she has the potential to eat cats, medium and small dogs. Hence, she is a constrictor."
Villalta told NBC 4 Los Angeles that the python, described in his Facebook post as "light in color," escaped after its cage was accidentally left unlocked.
"I feel so bad, something so simple could have avoided all of this," the pet owner said.
Despite his assurance in the Facebook post that his neighbors shouldn't fear the python, he told the news outlet that the reptile — which is not venomous — could potentially cause harm. "Is she dangerous to humans? Yeah, she's a constrictor, right? She does like to coil and compress."
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The family is offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who helps locate the python. Villalta urged his neighbors to be on the lookout and not to hurt the reptile.
"PLEASE DO NOT KILL HER. She has been a family pet for many years. My son is also extremely sad we lost her," he wrote on Facebook.
Villalta reiterated his concerns for his pet to ABC 7. "We're pretty anxious because some people are not very fond of reptiles, and we're pretty scared that somebody might harm the snake," he said.
His neighbors, meanwhile, are not happy about the situation. "We're just fearful for our lives actually, for the lives of our pets and our family, that something might happen. And we're wondering how this could've even happened in the first place," Chatsworth resident Benlide Liebman told ABC 7.
Villalta told NBC 4 that Big Momma's last meal was a rabbit — and because the python eats every two weeks, she'll soon be on the hunt for her next one.
"Wherever she's at, she is probably trying to preserve her energy and is holed up somewhere comfortable," he said.
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