A 9-foot reticulated python is reportedly slithering through a British city, triggering a deep and worrying police search for the reptile.
The snake, which is said to have the ability to eat up a human, was first seen near Lovell Road in Cambridge on Sunday. Cambridgeshire Police said that they have tracked down the python’s owner, but have yet to locate the reptile.
The department tweeted on Sunday: “In the early hours of this morning, Officers attended the area of Lovell Rd Cambridge. Reports of a three meter snake seen in the area.”
“Police have located the owner but not the Reticulated Python confirmed to be 9ft long. Any sighting please notify Cambs Police on 101,” Cambridgeshire Police wrote.
Reticulated pythons are known as the world’s longest snake, growing up to 31.5 feet long, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. The species is native to Southeast Asia and is non-venomous. A python is a constrictor and kills its prey by coiling around it and squeezing.
While attacks on humans are rare, there have been reports of pythons eating humans in Indonesia in recent years.
The body of a 54-year-old woman was found inside a 23-foot long python in Indonesia last year. The woman had gone missing while in her garden, according to the BBC.
A year earlier, the body of a 25-year-old man was cut out of another 23-foot long python, the outlet reported.