Where is Cara? Authorities have been searching for a 12-foot python since she escaped inside a mall in Louisiana.
The Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge is Louisiana’s largest mall. Shoppers can find clothing stores, restaurants, the third largest indoor carousel in the world, and now a recently escaped 12-foot python named Cara.
The mall is also home to the Blue Zoo Aquarium, a two-story facility built into the mall. There, people can take a break from all their shopping and meet reptiles like Cara during demonstrations. However, shoppers are now getting more reptile shows than they anticipated since Cara escaped from her enclosure on Tuesday.
Luckily, Cara is not venomous so shoppers are safe from attacks. In fact, Blue Zoo’s chief marketing officer, Ronda Swanson, described Cara as “very sweet.” She added that because of Cara’s harmless nature, it’s actually Cara that needs to be found and protected more than shoppers.
“We want to protect the snake as best we can,” Swanson said during an interview.
After attempts to find Cara failed during the day on Tuesday, authorities waited until nighttime to continue their search. Since Cara is a nocturnal animal, she’s more active at night so the staff thought it would be easier to find her then. The Baton Rouge Zoo teamed up with local snake experts to continue the search. However, after two days of searching, Cara is still on the loose.
Residents Are Either Freaking Out or Laughing About Cara The Python’s Escape
Yes, Louisiana residents are probably well acquainted with the dangers of certain snakes and other wildlife in the area. However, most people felt pretty safe walking into their local mall. That is, until recently. While some residents think the incident is hilarious, others don’t want anything to do with Cara.
One resident said that, after a long weekend, she wanted nothing to do with the python at the mall story. She wrote, “It’s the first day back from a holiday weekend, and the Snakes at the Mall story is too much for me.”
Others pulled from pop culture to joke about the incident. Cue the Samuel L. Jackson “Snakes on a Plane” references.
Update: Cara Has Been Found
As of just a couple of hours ago, Cara is back in her home safe and sound. The Blue Zoo announced that the team found Cara around 5:30 a.m. this morning. Cara was found in a high crawl space in the ceiling of the Blue Zoo. You can watch Cara be pulled safely from her hiding spot in a video posted by the zoo.
During an interview, Cara’s handler, Victoria, talked about Cara’s hiding spot.
“As far as finding her, she did the snake thing, where she coiled up and sat down and hunkered down,” said Victoria. “I mean, she’s my snake, I know her. More than anything, I had high hopes we were going to find her the whole time.”
