Photo/Illutration The reticulated python that was put into a case after it was discovered in Yokohama’s Totsuka Ward on May 22 (Kanoko Tsuchiya)

YOKOHAMA--A 3.5-meter-long pet python that escaped from an apartment here over two weeks ago was discovered May 22 in the owner's attic.

More than 200 officers and police dogs were involved in the search but had little go on other than a window that had been left open when the reptile crushed the lock on its cage and got out.

The reticulated python weighing about 10 kilograms was discovered around 4:40 p.m. Animal experts and firefighters conducted the search that day.

The owner of the pet snake, who is in his 20s, expressed relief and offered profuse apologies to local residents as well as police officers and fire fighters “for causing them trouble.”

He said he is now looking for a new owner of the python.

Tsuyoshi Shirawa, an expert on reptile species and head of the iZoo zoo in Kawazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, took part in the May 22 search at the owner's request and spotted the snake when he peered into the attic through an inspection opening in the bathroom of the apartment.

The python was curled up and Shirawa pulled it out after grabbing hold of its head.

Shirawa said the attic was searched a few times previously but no trace of the python had been found. He speculated the snake had ventured out at some point and decided to return.

“The temperature was still low, so I imagined it had not gone too far. I'm glad my hunch was correct,” Shirawa said. “The main thing is that owners should ensure their pets never escape in the first place.”

The owner reported the python’s disappearance to police on the evening of May 6. A total of 269 officers searched the neighborhood within 300 meters from the owner’s apartment in Totsuka Ward from May 7 until May 21 when police ended the search.

They used a fiberscope to look for the snake in attics and underfloor spaces of the apartment building and nearby homes and sewage areas.

A homemaker who lives in the neighborhood expressed her relief after the discovery.

“I am glad the snake was discovered without hurting anybody,” she said.

The species is not venomous, but it can kill a child or an animal with its ability to suffocate prey, according to the Yokohama animal welfare center.

A special permit is required to keep a reticulated python that is provided by local authorities under the law on welfare and management of animals, according to the animal welfare center.

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