Mystery of disappearing cats solved by capture of 12-foot python

Aug 12, 2014

Wildlife investigators may have solved a classic Florida whodunnit with the capture of a 12-foot python in a neighborhood where cats have been disappearing. Video: Reuters

The evidence was strong: multiple cats missing in Florida without a trace. A freshly killed body. And one well-fed, 120-pound python lurking in the underbrush.

Four Port St. Lucie police wrangled the 12-foot-long snake which they believe is the culprit in the disappearance of a slew of neighborhood pets over the past nine months.

Pythons are an exotic species and growing nuisance in Florida where they have no natural predator and feed on native wildlife, most notably in the Florida Everglades. Occasionally a snake finds its way into populated areas.

An officer familiar with snakes believes the python was let loose by a pet owner well before it reached its current size, a typical scenario, Sabol said. He said state wildlife officials were looking for the snake owner.

Meanwhile, without further ado, police consider the case of the missing cats closed.

Reuters

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