Most people who left their apartments this weekend in the face of Irene made arrangements for their pets—helped by the fact they were allowed into shelters! Of course there were some exceptions. A few pets went off on their own and a few owners apparently just abandoned their buddies. Like the owner of a 10-foot python found yesterday on the eighth floor of the Howard Houses on Mother Gaston Boulevard in Brownsville. more ›

Around 1 a.m. today a gas station attendant discovered a 5-foot-long python (not pictured) slithering through garbage on a sidewalk at East 161st Street in the Melrose section of the Bronx. "The snake was hissing at us!" Ricardo Andino tells the Daily News. "I've never seen one like it before." Police raced to the scene, but the python resisted arrest for almost a half hour. more ›

Feds are moving to keep the Burmese python and eight other large slithering species out of the United States, and specifically out of JFK. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says the airport ban is important since New York is the biggest entry point to the U.S. for imported wildlife, reported AP. People bring snakes in as the pets, but often end up releasing them into the wild where they wreak havoc on delicate ecosystems like Florida's Everglades. Also on the chopping block are Indian pythons, Northern African pythons, Southern African pythons, reticulated pythons, boa constrictors and four species of anacondas. Before a final decision is made, the proposal will be open to a public hearing. more ›

Note to self: When bringing a 7-foot python to a friend's house, the python might get curious and wander off. Because that's what happened to David Fennell. Fennell, who lives on Parsons Boulevard, was visiting a friend on 149th Street in Jamaica when the python around 5:30 p.m., according to the Post. "Emergency Service Unit cops arrived at 5:55 p.m., and found the python curled up in a hallway 20 minutes later." The python (no pet name given) was then taken to an Animal Care & Control facility because the Department of Health prohibits pythons as pets. Wacky, but not as insane as the story of the 7-foot python a Brooklyn woman found...in her toilet. more ›