15-foot python on the loose in Los Angeles

July 11 (UPI) -- A Los Angeles man is warning neighbors to keep a close watch on their small pets after his 15-foot python escaped.

Alex Villalta said his reticulated python, Big Mama, escaped from her cage when it was accidentally left unlocked last week in the Chatsworth neighborhood.

"We're concerned. We're pretty antsy. We've been looking day and night," Villalta told KABC-TV.

Villalta said in a notice posted to the MyChatsworth page on Facebook that Big Mama is friendly toward humans, but could pose a danger to cats and small dogs.

Villalta is asking neighbors to keep a lookout for Big Mama and is urging them not to harm his pet.

"We're pretty anxious because some people are not very fond of reptiles, and we're pretty scared that somebody might harm the snake," he said.