Python missing in Locarno: online threats, then silence

A royal python went missing from a home on Via Romerio, in Locarno, on 14 August. The notice of its disappearance, posted on social media groups for lost animals, was removed in the past few days.

The reptile, about 80 to 90 centimetres long, is not venomous and generally has a docile temperament. According to the original notice, it escaped from the tank it was kept in.

The owner's phone number listed in the notice has gone unanswered for days. A well-informed source, in direct contact with the owner, explained why: the person had received threats and demands for money from people claiming to have the python in their garden. The notice was taken down to avoid worse trouble. So far, no report has been filed with police over the case.

Where it might be hiding

Nash Pettinaroli, an ethologist and chairman of the AnimaLife Ticino association, says escaped pythons are sometimes found inside or behind a wardrobe, coiled up. If the animal has gone outdoors, he says it should be looked for where there is vegetation, not in an open field: in burrows abandoned by other animals, near water, under leaves, rocks or logs. In an urban setting it may hide under flooring, in pipes, manholes and drainage channels. Pettinaroli notes that pythons do not travel for kilometres.

The python remains motionless during the day and becomes active in the evening and at night. It can hunt small animals such as mice or kittens, but how dangerous it is depends on when it last ate: a well-fed specimen generally does not attack. Pettinaroli notes that the python kills by constriction and is not venomous.

Keeping exotic animals is permitted in Switzerland and regulated. The cantonal veterinary office publishes the list of permitted species and the rules to follow.

The ethologist also points to the online reaction to the case. For about a year, the association has been pre-emptively closing comments on some posts because it expects insults. Some people have left social media after receiving direct threats. Pettinaroli urges distinguishing between aggression and hunting behaviour driven by hunger, and advises against approaching an unidentified snake: if you encounter one, it is better to move away without disturbing it.