A 2-meter-long pet ball python was found Monday in the car it was last seen in, with police saying it had likely never escaped in the first place after being reported missing by its owner and prompting a search by authorities in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture.
The snake was found after its owner noticed that the wire covering under the storage compartment opposite the passenger's seat was unusually raised and asked the police to check the car in his employer's parking lot.
The police had been looking for the python since Sunday evening after it was reported missing on Friday, with 10 officers poking around in the grass with sticks and looking into ditches around the owner's apartment. The snake was thought to have escaped from the car parked in the complex's parking lot.
The snake, which weighs around 2 kilograms, is not venomous and is known to be relatively docile, but the police had called on the public to be careful because it might bite.