Burmese python on the loose in Indiana town

May 24 (UPI) -- Police in Indiana are warning residents to be on the lookout for a 14-foot Burmese python that escaped from its owner's home.

The Beech Grove Police Department said the python, named Vine, escaped from the home of owner Benny Tarplee last week, but he didn't report the serpent missing until earlier this week.

Tarplee said the 8-year-old snake escaped when someone left her cage door unlocked.

"She's a sweetheart, she's really a sweetheart, and she's the biggest baby on the face of the Earth," Tarplee told WXIN-TV. "It's a snake, she's not the devil. She's not here to hurt you, as a matter of fact, as long as you leave her alone, she will leave you alone."

Jake Woods, a zookeeper at the Indianapolis Zoo, said Vine is likely somewhere close to home.

"It's hard to imagine a 14-foot snake could have gone 20 miles without someone seeing it," Woods told WRTV.

Police recommended anyone who spots the snake keep their distance and call 911.