Python on the Loose in Dali?

Update: Dali residents are on high alert after a python is believed to have escaped from its cage and disappeared somewhere in the village on the outskirts of Nicosia, said police.

The python was in its cage in the owner's yard yesterday but when he went to look for it this morning, it had vanished, said police. Everyone in the district is on the lookout for the metre-long juvenile snake, and herpetological experts are hunting around for likely spots it would hide.

The snake's disappearance caused panic and fear in residents, particularly in the kindergarten. Parents picked up their children early just in case, but tomorrow the nursery will go back to its usual schedule.

Herpetological experts assured the public that the python is not dangerous, but the authorities have come under attack for allowing exotic pets into the country.

The snake's owner said it may have been stolen from his yard.

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