A 3-meter Burmese python has been lost in a Louisiana mall store for days

(CNN) – Search teams in Baton Rouge are rolling snake eyes when it comes to finding Cara, a large yellow Burmese python that slithered out of its habitat at the Blue Zoo Aquarium in the Mall of Louisiana Monday night.
The mall, which houses more than 140 stores, briefly closed Tuesday morning after Cara’s disappearance was discovered, according to the WAFB station, affiliated with CNN. But Blue Zoo staff helped allay the mall’s concern, relying on the 10-foot-long python to be hidden somewhere in the store. The only store that remains closed since Wednesday is the aquarium.

Wes Haws, CEO and founder of Blue Zoo, said teams plan to begin tearing down aquarium walls Wednesday night if they haven’t found Cara.

“One of the big concerns is that she (Cara) has slipped into a wall and can’t get out again,” Haws said. “We are not going to treat this differently than if it were a missing child. It is extremely important to us that we continue the effort.”

The burmese pythons They are non-poisonous snakes that kill prey such as mammals, birds, and reptiles by constricting them, but have a low risk of attacking humans.

Cara is a python that appears in children’s aquarium shows. He escaped from his tank with brute force, twisting around a corner of it, Haws said.

Several snake trackers and experts have been called in to help search for Cara after Baton Rouge police and fire officials failed to find her after spending several hours searching for her Tuesday, according to a post on Blue Zoo Facebook page.

The aquarium also purchased night vision cameras and cameras with motion sensors, which local plumbing and HVAC companies have placed in all possible slots and small areas, according to Blue Zoo. Heat and food sources have been placed throughout the establishment to attract her and a vet is waiting.

But what’s most concerning is the snake’s safety, said Ronda Swanson, Blue Zoo’s chief marketing officer.

“We have seen evidence that Cara moves within our ceiling space, which has many places to hide,” the Facebook post reads.

Blue Zoo opened its location in the Mall of Louisiana in April 2021.