Chatsworth Neighbors Warned Of 15-Foot Python On The Loose

CHATSWORTH, CA — The Chatsworth community got an unusual warning from a man whose family pet got loose: watch out for your cats and dogs.

Alex Villalta's family pet is a 15-foot-long python big enough to scarf cats and small or medium-sized dogs. In a post on the My Chatsworth Facebook over the weekend, Villalta found himself in the unusual position of warning his neighbors while also imploring them for help finding his beloved bet.

"She just fed, but please be aware she has the potential to eat cats, medium and small dogs. Hence, she is a constrictor," Villalta wrote. "PLEASE DO NOT KILL HER. She has been a family pet for many years. My son is also extremely sad we lost her. Please help us get her back."

It's not clear how the family lost a massive python. According to Villalta, the snake was last seen in the backyard of the home in the 10500 block of WIllowbrae Avenue.

Though Chatsworth is known to have snakes in the wild, the python is out very much out of its element. It's a tropical and subtropical snake that ambushes prey. Pythons bite their prey, and coil their bodies around the animal, using their bodies to suffocate and then swallow their prey whole. Among the largest snakes in the world, they are known to eat animals as large as Antelope in the wild.

Villalta is urging anyone who sees the snake to reach out to animal control, which can be reached at 888-452-7381.

On the My Chatsworth page, neighbors immediately began some amateur sleuthing to try to help find the pet as tips rolled in.

"I'm pretty sure I saw the snake Friday afternoon. Some people were putting a huge snake in a car on Eton & Lemarsh in Chatsworth," wrote one resident.

Others shared stories of their lost snakes found in unlikely places such as the couch cushions.

Neighbors also offered a combination of sympathy for the Villalta family's loss and chastisement for letting a large snake loose in the community.

One neighbor summed up a common sentiment in the community.

"Please let us know when you find her, some of us are really hoping she is found soon for your peace of mind and ours because we are terrified of snakes," she wrote.