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NEW YORK POST (New York) 29 September 04 Seventeen-Foot Fugitive Python Found
Bay St. Louis, Miss. (AP): Baby, the pet python, is safe at home. The 17-foot Burmese python, missing since Thursday in Bay St. Louis, came out of hiding Monday when the smell of dinner became too much to resist. Baby loves rabbits and that's what snake owner Keith Berg used as bait.
Baby slithered out from underneath insulation in the attic of Berg's apartment building and back into captivity. The snake was being kept in Berg's bathroom, but escaped when the door was left ajar.
Julie Lawhead lives across the street, and hopes now to get a full night's sleep.
"When I first heard that the snake was missing, my three children were playing in the back yard and my youngest is 2 years old," Lawhead said. "I've even looked under the kids' bed at night. I know that's being paranoid, but you don't always use logic in times like these."
Dan Maloney, general curator at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, said because the 110-pound python dines on four rabbits a month, she would be an easy target of instant gratification.
"We usually feed our pythons about once or twice a year," Maloney said. "If this animal was fed once a month, then it will probably be looking for food sooner rather than later."
Pythons have an average lifespan of more than 40 years, and Maloney said owning a giant serpent is a lifelong commitment, a decision that should only be made after extensive research.
"The best pets are dogs and cats," Maloney said. "People need to know the housing requirements and conditions, and so many other things, before deciding to own an animal like this."
It is legal to own exotic pets in Mississippi, but owners must have a license or permit. Thirteen states have laws that prohibit the private possession of dangerous reptiles.
"She does like to explore, that's for sure," Berg said. "I am just so glad that she's back."
A new cage for Baby is being built in Mobile and Berg said the snake is moving there as soon as it is completed, but in the meantime, he plans to make sure the bathroom door stays shut.
Seventeen-Foot Fugitive Python Found

Snake looses scorn aplenty

By RYAN LaFONTAINE

BAY ST. LOUIS - Residents are putting the squeeze on City Council members following the escape and four-day disappearance of a 17-foot Burmese python.

Baby, the 11-year-old python, has lived with Keith Berg for about five years in an apartment complex on Union Street. Berg called police for help last month when he discovered his 110-pound snake was missing.

Residents were circulating petitions Monday, hoping to sway a vote by the City Council to adopt an ordinance against owning dangerous animals.

In Mississippi, its legal to own exotic pets but owners must have a license or permit. Just 13 states have laws in place that prohibit the private possession of dangerous reptiles, and there are no city regulations in Bay St. Louis.

As the mother of three small children living across the street from the giant serpent, Julie Lawhead said a city ordinance would force owners of large snakes to act more responsibly.

"I signed it so that we never have to deal with a similar situation again," Lawhead said. "If an ordinance is in place and something like this occurs the city can issue a citation."

The neighborhood alliance, formed shortly after the snake was recovered, plans to present the petitions to the City Council on Oct. 19.

After hearing of the petitions, city officials said they have researched other city ordinances to find a solution that is fair. Mayor Eddie Favre said the neighborhood concerns are legitimate and should be address.

"Fortunately, this time, there were no problems, but we do have a situation that could possibly be dangerous and we should address it," Favre said. "We want to look at a solution that wouldn't infringe on the citizens' rights to owns pets, but at the same time provide protection for the public."

Berg, who used a dead rabbit to lure the snake out of hiding, said he was planning to take the python to Mobile. Berg could not be reached for comment on Monday and it remains unclear whether the snake has been moved.