A Burmese Python at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

A giant Burmese python was found in a public bathroom in a Tiberias promenade yesterday. The python, which measured about eleven feet long, caused panic among passersby, who called Itai Myers, Director of the Center for Reptiles in Katzrin, to apprehend the reptile.

Mr. Myers, in an interview with Israel’s Channel 2 Online, pegged the snake as a pet, who either escaped from its owner’s home or who was forgotten by its owner in a visit to the promenade. Though Burmese pythons are commonly known as the large snake of choice for reptile owners, Mr Myers remarked against keeping them as pets, stating  “These snakes can be grown at home but I recommend not to do it.”

The snake, though belonging to one of the six largest snake species in the world, was reportedly easy to capture, as Burmese Pythons are not poisonous and generally sport a docile disposition, according to National Geographic’s website. To be sure, pythons can frequently be deadly through constriction, using their considerable size to suffocate prey. The snakes, which can reach weights of 200 pounds, have been known to eat animals as large as pigs or goats, even swallowing entire deer in some cases.

The python is being cared for by the Katzrin Center for Reptiles until its owner can be ascertained.