SS Wraps the 20-foot Burmese python is on the loose in southwest Missouri

A southwest Missouri man has sent out a plea for help finding his lost pet —a 20-foot Burmese python that was a last seen on Thursday evening curled up in a ball in the corner of its cage.

Ben Trexel III of Christian County is asking people to keep a lookout for his snake, which he named SS Wraps. It was last seen at its home near Rogersville.

The snake is believed to have escaped during a storm when a tree branch fell through the roof of a porch where Trexel keeps the cage.

Trexel told the Springfield News-Leader that he bought the snake nearly nine years ago from a pet store. It was only 6 inches long, and he hand-fed it baby mice.

The snake has since grown to be about 20 feet long. It eats larger animals such as rabbits and chickens.

Trexel posted to Facebook that SS Wraps was missing on Friday afternoon, using the “scared” emoji.

A few hours later, the post was picked up by Leigh’s Lost and Found, a Facebook page that’s a partnership with KSPR news anchorwoman Leigh Moody and the Springfield animal control shelter. The Facebook page showcases lost and abandoned animals in attempt to reunite them with their owners.

In answers to questions on his Facebook page, Trexel said he understands that people are scared of snakes, and that’s why he wanted to warn people that SS Wraps was missing.

He said the mostly brown snake had just eaten, so it’s not out looking for food. He doesn’t think that it made it far. He said the snake is not aggressive.

This story was originally published May 21, 2017 at 9:52 AM with the headline "SS Wraps the 20-foot Burmese python is on the loose in southwest Missouri."