AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Animal Center said on Monday that its staff helped recover a 16-foot albino reticulated python that had been roaming the Coronado Hills neighborhood in northeast Austin since July.
AAC said the snake, named Snow, was lethargic due to cooler temperatures and a couple of residents were able to catch it and keep in their garage.
Residents told AAC they had been spotting the python roaming the neighborhood since July.
Snow was placed in temporary housing before being taken in by the Austin Zoo.
AAC staff later identified Snow’s owner from a Nextdoor post.
“We called him up and he was able to identify a unique feature of the python,” AAC said in a Facebook post. “He drove down the next day to pick her up.”
The snake’s owner had been visiting Austin from the Dallas area when his car was broken into and a tote carrying Snow was stolen.
“Oh, to see the look on the thief’s face when they opened it up,” AAC wrote.
Snow has now been reunited with her owner and Coronado Hills no longer has to be on the lookout for a giant python.