Boa constrictor on the loose in Michigan believed to be escaped pet

July 7 (UPI) -- Authorities in Michigan said a reported boa constrictor on the loose in Kent County is believed to be an escaped pet.

The Kent County Sheriff's Office said members of the public reported spotting a snake in recent days in the area near Millennium and Johnson Parks in Walker.

The sheriff's office said Kent County Parks Department officials have been made aware of the suspected boa constrictor in the area, but they are not actively searching for the animal at this time. The snake is believed to be an escaped pet, the sheriff's office said.

Locals said the snake sightings evoke memories of Big Sid, a circus python that made national headlines when it spent a few days on the loose in Standale more than 40 years ago.

"It doesn't scare me but the first thing that comes to mind is Big Sid from the 70s and 80s or whenever that was. That was up near Standale, so not too far from here. Who knows, maybe this is one of Big Sid's proteges," Johnson Park visitor Deskin Miller told WOOD-TV.

Another python was reported missing by its owner in Grand Rapids in 2013. Owner Tina Austin said Bianca the python escaped near a KFC restaurant and was safely recaptured a few days later.