OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Management of a south Oklahoma City mobile home park urged its residents this week not to speak out about a 13-foot-long cat-eating albino python still in the neighborhood. Residents of Burntwood Mobile Home Park claim the park’s management knew about the python since June and did nothing.
“The only reason they finally did something was because a resident snapped a picture of it,” said a resident wanting to remain anonymous in fear of eviction from management. He had been living in the park for 10 years. “Them sending out a warning to us to not talk to media, it’s intimidation all the way.”
Over the last couple of months, residents say they have been concerned by the number of cats missing from the neighborhood. Then a picture of the yellow albino python slithering near one of the homes gained traction online.
An expert was hired who said that it was a reticulated python and was around 13 feet long and eating the cats. Trevor Bounds, of Red Beard Wildlife Control, said they are waiting until repairs to the siding are done by the park before they can get in there.
Since the story first broke, management has been sending alerts to its residents not to talk to the media about the python or the problems it brings. “The trailer that the snake is at is just a couple blocks near the pool, and they closed that this summer, but we had no clue why,” said the anonymous resident. “They knew that this snake was out and that having residents in the pool might not be the safest choice.”
“We have had a few media outlets attempt to interview our residents regarding this issue. Must be a slow news week! If you are contacted by the media, you are encouraged to ask them to leave the community immediately and give them no comments.” – Burntwood Mobile Home Park Management.
Bounds described the python as a yellow reticulated python. The species is not venomous and kills its prey by constriction.
It’s unclear where the python came from but he thinks it may have been a pet that broke free or was released by its owner during the summer. “If it was going to be aggressive, we would’ve already seen that.”
“It’s not going to survive when the temperatures drop to 65,” he said. “I mean, you’d be pushing it saying 70.”
✱ Reticulated pythons are native to Southeast Asia and typically reach up to 16 feet as adults.
✱ The largest recorded reticulated python measured 32 feet in length and weighed 350 pounds.
