An escaped python shut down a Louisiana zoo as workers searched for the missing snake

• A 12-foot-long python escaped its enclosure at the Blue Zoo inside the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge on Tuesday.
• The zoo was temporarily closed while managers looked for the snake.
• Zoo managers told WAFB that they're confident the python didn't escape to other parts of the mall.

A zoo inside a shopping mall in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was temporarily closed on Tuesday after a python escaped its enclosure.

The Blue Zoo inside the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge called firefighters and animal control to the scene on Tuesday morning after realizing the snake had escaped, authorities told WAFB.

Managers at the zoo told WAFB that the are confident that the snake, named Cara, is inside the store and not a threat to shoppers in other parts of the mall.

They said Cara is "very large" at 12 feet long, but is friendly and not venomous.

"While we've created a very secure home for Cara, our Burmese Python, she has slithered out of her exhibit," the zoo said. "The safety of our animals is of utmost importance to us, so to ensure Cara's safety, we will be closed for the day. Please check back for updates and opening times."