4-foot python recovered from Forest Park, Queens. 2 are still missing
Three large pythons were spotted in Forest Park, Queens earlier this week.
So far, only one of them has been caught.
Animal rescuer Meagan Licari recovered the 4-foot ball python.
"We named him Kevin. We thought that was a really cute snake name," Licari said.
The other two snakes are still on the loose.
"I think we were all like, oh, what do we do?" Licari said.
Teammates at Licari's Puppy Kitty NYC animal rescue are accustomed to saving cats, not snakes. But bravery quickly kicked in.
"I used the box to actually secure him, and we put him in a bag after, and then we put him from the bag into the box," animal rescuer Katherine Laboy said.
The missing pair of pythons is the talk of Forest Park.
"Odd stuff happens here in this park," Ridgewood resident Fritz Pfaff said.
"Hopefully they're going to catch them soon," Arek Palis said.
Ranger Sgt. Joseph Czeisel is looking for the snakes.
"They are not a threat to human safety in any way," Czeisel said. "We want to prevent them from dying."
Czeisel has a hunch where they might be found.
"They're probably going to be going through leaf litter, not only looking for prey, but also making sure they don't become prey for anything else," Czeisel said.
The experts say because the animals are exotic and don't belong here, it's a race against time.
"Once it starts to go below freezing and we start getting frost and things like that, there's no way for the ball python unfortunately to survive wintering here," Czeisel said.
"They were pets that were released to a park. I don't know why people do that. We have the amazing Animal Care Centers of New York who are equipped to take any species at any time," Licari said.
It's against the law to release animals or abandon pets inside city parks, and it is punishable by a $1,000 fine.
Kevin is being cared for by an out-of-state rehabilitator. The search for his pals continues.