SEATTLE — Police and wildlife officials searched Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood Monday after a man reported that his six-foot python escaped.
The call came in at about 2 p.m. that the albino Burmese python had slithered into a wooded area near Northeast 61st Street and Brooklyn Avenue, the Seattle Police Department said.
Police officers and officials from Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife scoured Cowen/Ravenna Park, and the surrounding neighborhood for the snake to no avail.
Snake expert Peter Miller, who’s the reptile keeper at Woodland Park Zoo, told Seattle police that people and their small pets should keep the trails in the area and stay away from drainage ditches, thick foliage and hollow logs. He said the snake is 15-20 pounds and “has the potential” to be dangerous.
“These guys are ambush predators,” Miller said. “They find a well-protected covered area, and they sit and they wait.”
The snake could conceivably survive in the neighborhood for some time.
“It’ll be fine until wintertime,” Miller said. “Then, persistent cold is going to be difficult for it. The weather right now is perfect.”
More information is available from the SPD Blotter: spdblotter.seattle.gov/2012/08/13/officers-on-python-patrol-after-snake-escapes-in-ravenna-neighborhood/
KIRO
